The latest Google’s Art project appears to be a huge success….and Google’s newest cash cow. The idea was not innovative as others like VIP Art Fair and Artlog, along with museums and art galleries websites were already offering online art tours. What is making the Google’s Art project superior to the others is the way it was executed. Well thought and designed user interface, high resolution images with zooming, online collection-building, integrating 3D gallery Space with Flat Images (a very physical sense of how large works are and how they are presented next to each other) and public access.
I think the key is the 3D. Since the most art and paintings in particular is 2D and flat being able to see in 3 dimensions is tremendous advantage. It let the user have the feeling of being physically there. The possibilities are endless. From art history lessons, art lectures, research or just for fun.Great for art lovers as they can view artwork around the world without leaving their home, great promotional tool for museums and galleries and other art institutions, great for Google too.
Make no mistake that giant like Google does anything without expecting pile of cash in return. I have no doubts that this is another cash cow for Google. Soon Google will offer to add more private galleries and museums to the art project’s list….for hefty price tag and even better, by a subscription. What a money making machine this could be…and I am sure Google carefully planned this to happen in the near future. The great idea to popularize the art will be commercialized and Google can dictate what art should be popular or not. This will be a direct manipulation of what is hot and what not in the art world.
I am not saying necessary the project is bad, at least at the present stage. For a lot of private art galleries this will be an awesome opportunity to draw more visitors to their exhibits. If a person sees something he likes there is a better chance he or she will likely want to see it person. It will be beneficial for artists indirectly too. On the other hand it may turn to “pay to show” like with everything else in today’s website marketing and internet world. It is not a secret that online presence and popularity can be and it is bough. The more money a company can dedicate to market itself and its products online the more attention it draws. The more presence and attention eventually turns in more sales. Google knows and does this better than anyone else. As the big brother already is watching over your shoulder in you email inbox to present adds that are inline with your messages subjects. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Delicious, and Twiends also watch every step we make whether we liked or not. When you sell your soul to the net-devil you have no right to complain, right?
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