Google alert - friend or foe?

This past Sunday night, the Grammys included lots of fun moments: Beyonce KILLING it on stage, an MJ tribute that made me wish I had seen Avatar just for the 3-D glasses (and also to end my status as the last person on Earth who hasn't seen it), and lots and lots of pretty dresses.

But what I remembered most about the awards ceremony happened even before any of the stars stepped off the red carpet and into the huge venue. In a pre-show interview with Katy Perry (side boob alert?) and Russell Brand on E!, the couple was asked about their recent engagement. Perry admitted that she knew Brand would pop the question sooner rather than later, because, "Unfortunately, I still Google myself sometimes; I saw it on Google alerts."

Even as someone who maintains a hardcore passion for all things web, Perry's self-proclaimed "honest!" claim shook me to the core. What kind of a society do we live in, where the wonderful, life-changing moments in one's life can be tipped off by Google? Granted, I'm not a celebrity, and it's not like people mention me at all in the blogosphere or anything. So, I guess I'm not the prime candidate for an eponymous Google alert, although I can totally see the benefits of the application for business or brand reputation management. Still. Something about this rubs me the wrong way.

I'm a Google lover, not a fighter. And it's possible that whoever mentioned any Brand ring-browsing sighting didn't know that Perry herself would ever see it. To me, this is just another example of how the Internet continues to change how we relate to each other. What's next? Cutting out the middle man and just proposing online all together? Thoughts?