We’re so used to using Google Maps that we don’t even think about it anymore. We open it, search for an address, follow the route, and we’re there. But what if this handy app was doing more than just getting us from one place to another? What if it were also influencing how we see the world?
This question may seem exaggerated at first, but if we look more closely at what’s happening, things change. Recent decisions like changing the name of the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America” have set off alarm bells. And not just because of the change itself, but because Google has started removing negative comments on these topics. Coincidence? Or an attempt to control how we perceive reality?
Can an app change what we think?
The key to everything lies in a concept known as extended cognition. This theory, proposed by philosophers like Andy Clark and David Chalmers, states that when we use a digital tool daily (such as a mobile phone or an app), it becomes an extension of our mind. In other words, we don’t just use Google Maps to find our way around: we delegate our memory, our decision-making capacity, and even our spatial perception to it.
Think about it. Before, you knew how to get to certain places by heart. Now, you leave everything to the GPS. It’s convenient, of course. But that convenience can also backfire. Because if we blindly trust what we see on the screen, we end up assuming what it shows us as truth, without questioning it.
And that’s where the dangers come in. If Google decides to change the name of a place or delete reviews that don’t suit it, it can shape the way we see the world without us even realizing it.
Passive manipulation is more real than we think
This kind of influence isn’t new. It’s just that we now experience it in our pockets. We call it passive influence, and it works through repetition. The more you see something, the more you get used to it, until you accept it as normal. Like seeing the “Gulf of America” on a map over and over again. At first it shocks you, then you get used to it… and one day you name it yourself without even thinking about it.
The problem isn’t just that specific change. The problem is that we’re being trained to accept it without question, because we trust the tool. Google Maps has more than a billion active users per month. And if you modify the information you provide without transparency, you’re redrawing the collective mental map, and with it, our ideas.
Furthermore, if you also eliminate opinions that criticize these changes, you create a false sense of consensus. And this is no longer helpful: it’s covert manipulation.
What can we do as users?
The first thing is to be aware. It’s not about stopping using Google Maps, but rather about looking at what it shows us with a fresh eye. If something changes, ask yourself why. Compare the information. And, above all, don’t let any app do the thinking for you.
It’s also a good idea to review your digital habits. If you use your phone a lot for everything, try trusting your intuition, memory, and observation skills a little more again. Tools are there to help you, not replace you.
