A top story over the past week has been the introduction of Google Street View UK, with 25 British cities available in this 360-degree first person perspective. Google Street View was embraced in the US without much grumbling. Although there were a few that were upset over it, I think most Americans found out about its existence by searching for something on Google Maps and discovering that they could look at the destination in Street View and the first reaction from most people was just “Wow, thats cool” and nobody thought anything else of it.
The reception on this side of the pond hasn’t been quite as warm. There has been a ton of debate and media coverage and there are a lot of people who are worried about what Google Street View means for their privacy. As the Internet has exploded in the US many Americans can find their grandma on facebook, but in Britain all things Internet have been met with much resistance in the working class communities.
Shopping is still primarily done through catalogs, holidays are still booked in person through travel agents, and don’t even get me started on banking. Although the younger generations are embracing the digital age, most working-class Brits over the age of 40 either don’t have internet access in their home or if they do, they use it as little as possible and avoid any type of e-commerce.
This isn’t to say that all technology is shunned, the British have whole-heartedly embraced text messaging, satellite navigation systems and the Nintendo Wii. Its quite normal for a house with an HD plasma TV and digital cable to have no Internet connection or else use it very sparingly. Its clearly not an aversion to technology that we are talking about, there is something about the Internet that doesn’t sit well with a lot of British people. I haven’t been able to pinpoint what it is, possibly Americans are more willing to sacrifice certain things for the sake of convenience.
Personally the thing I love about the internet is that human error is reduced and I can even order and pay for delivery pizza online through the Dominos website without ever having to speak to a human being. There is something very impersonal about the customer service experience in America so possibly the transition from human to machine isn’t as jolting to Americans as it is to the British. Here in Britain services are much more personal. When you have a plumber or handyman come to your home it is customary to offer him tea and hospitality, a concept completely foreign to me. Why would I offer a tea break to someone I am paying by the hour? Americans live by a “time is money” philosophy that is conducive to the Internet whereas this country seems to put more emphasis on things like loyalty and courtesy. Is it the elimination of the human element that makes people in this country wary of the Internet?
Still, the British couldn’t hold out forever and the credit crunch and rising unemployment means many people who haven’t had to look for work in a few decades are suddenly forced to take the cyber plunge and register with online job sites. I am sure for many of these Internet-shy Brits, posting their personal details on the Internet is quite a step. It’s possible that rampant job loss throughout the country could be the boost needed to build some much needed trust between the British people and the Internet.
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Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia was started to get us back to the UK for a trip and it did that in 2009. Now, the goal is for Anglotopia to make our dreams of traveling to the UK whenever we want a reality.
Seems odd that Google Street View would cause so much debate given that the UK has more CCTV cameras per person than any other country in the world.
Great post. I don’t really get why the Brits are so up in arms over Streetview when they are the most video surveillanced country on the planet. I hope Google prevails on this one.
I think it would be quite a different perspective to be watching what a surveillance camera captures vs the subconcious knowledge that a surveillance camera is on you as you go about your busy day. That could explain some of the uneasiness.
Not sure if I recognise your view of UK – the majority the people I know are on Broadband & use the net for all sorts of things – including mail, shopping, blogging etc. Perhaps in country districts less so but then again a lot of people I know in Pensylvania & NJ seem to be on dial up as cable is ‘too expensive’. Still – interesting reading the different viewpoints on UK.
It’s interesting to read this perception, although to me here in the south of the UK (although originally from Nebraska) it doesn’t match with what I see here. The last time I looked at internet related comparison figures the penetration of broadband and use of on-line banking was higher in the UK than the US. Maybe it is a very localised thing?
Google probably stirred up some much interest and concern by having a fairly profile launch which I don’t think they did in the US. I can see why some people are concerned though, the pictures are quite detailed and the blurring on faces and license plate numbers not always so good. I think people here are concerned about surveillance although that line about Britain being the country under the most heavy video surveillance is more urban myth than fact. The original study was based on a survey of all the cameras in two urban streets in South London and included every camera such as those in Banks and railway stations. The resulting percentage of cameras found relative was then multiplied up to give a figure for the whole country.
I will clarify that this is strictly a Northern perspective, as I mentioned in the article I am talking about working class communities like the one I live in. I would never comment on what goes on in the South, please don’t take this the wrong way but it has been my experience that the South is hardly representative of the rest of the UK in many ways.
I don’t know that comparing internet usage in the US and UK by percentages is really an accurate comparison. In the US I feel access to the internet is strictly a matter of location and the numbers reflect more the fact that America is still a big place with a lot of far flung communities. In a British community such as mine where broadband is readily available, internet usage is lower purely for social reasons. I think that is pivotal difference. Its not purely a numbers game, I think the motivations are a bit different when you get right down to it.
Very good article. I, being an American, just thought it was cool. I first discovered the Street View on the US Google site, so it wasn’t a surprise to me when it appeared in the UK. The surprise to me was that it wasn’t here already.
> Seems odd that Google Street View would cause so much debate given that the UK has more CCTV cameras per person than any other country in the world.
There is a difference between the two, however: the output from CCTV is looked at by a very small and restricted number of (presumably authorized) people, while Street View can be looked at by anyone who wants. Also, CCTVs are rare in predominantly residential areas.
Thanks for stopping by, Howard!