Staff Writer- Mary Athorp

You know it, you’ve seen it, it pops up on your phone every hour with a friendly little reminder to go to your next class or practice: it’s Google Calendar. 

Recently, I was color-coding the various events and responsibilities on my own Google Calendar, and I began to think about how, say, three years ago, Google Calendar wasn’t really on my radar. My family, at least, was still trying to coordinate and share calendars on the default Apple Calendar (which we never really figured out). Most things I wrote down or just simply remembered that I needed to go to them… but now—now I use Google Calendar like it’s adjacent to the air that I breathe. 

And, perhaps, I’ve been living under a rock and just joined the Google Calendar train a little late– an entirely likely story. But I do think that the modern college (and American) lifestyle presents itself as a puzzle that needs solving, and Google Calendar is the missing piece. 

What’s deceiving about this app, however, is that it’s been around since 2009. It was technically released in 2006, but was made more available to the general public in 2009. Obviously, it has undergone a lot of updates and changes over the years, but it is curious that, at least in my opinion, it has gained so much traction today. This might be due to the fact that Google has utilized a function called machine learning. Essentially, this means that your machine—your phone, your computer, your iPad—references multiple apps and accounts when making suggestions for your Google Calendar. For example, it might see an event that you’ve been invited to on your Gmail… boom, Google Calendar notification. It might seem that you have a task on your Reminders app that you need to finish by midnight… boom, Google Calendar notification. Google Calendar oozes ease and efficiency, which is really what our calendars need these days, given the sheer chaos of colors that appear on my calendar and many others. 

It’s clear that Google Calendar, or really Mike Samuel, the creator, is onto something. Google Calendar is organizational gold, and it helps make possible the busy lifestyles we all pursue. I wrote an article a while back about the Overinvolved Gustie, and I do think there’s a world (maybe this one) where the Overinvolved Gustie and Google Calendar are the bestest of friends. 

Here is revealed the double-edged sword of our colorfully boxed events. Yay, we’re organized. Yay, Google Calendar made sure I didn’t miss the seventeen meetings I had today. Not yay, however, the moment I see an open space on my Google calendar, I am convinced I need to fill it. Not yay that people can see the small little gaps in my schedule and post invites that I can’t really say no to. Not yay that I have to box out time to sleep and eat, and take a shower. Google Calendar is an incredible tool, but it does perpetuate the burnout that is knocking at all of our doors. 

Now, in reality, it’s not the app’s fault. It’s ours. They are just digitalized boxes after all. But as humans, we’re fickle creatures. Oftentimes, we don’t know the mess we’re sitting in until it’s too late, especially when it comes to technology. So, what’s the verdict? Is Google Calendar truly beneficial, or is it a villain in disguise? I suppose here’s my conclusion: Google Calendar is great, innovative, and useful, but it’s also smart. We have to be careful that it doesn’t get smarter than us. So, proceed with caution. Use it, but don’t lose the power you have over your own life.