The days when Google map was a luxury
I remember the time when the people around me (including me) used to prefer visiting places that they knew about and feared exploring any new place because of the uncertainty involved with the routes and locations there. In addition, in India it was widely thought that having a house/business on a world map would be an expensive affair and hence refrained from putting their own business/house on the Maps. There were agents around who were charging 10$ to put businesses/places on Google maps which was otherwise absolutely free.
Google maps has become a necessity because of the local guides
Come Google maps and their local guides and everything changed. The local guides have helped make Google maps - a dictionary of places by their contribution and raising awareness. People now travel to places without care for routes and locations and rely on Maps heavily.
Google maps as a means to livelihood
People have started discovering new businesses through Google maps and are helping even the remedy of businesses grow. I have personally seen many businesses grow purely because they got listed on the Maps. To be able to contribute to the larger great of the society and their livelihood is a feeling you understand only if you travel and talk to the local people in India.
Google maps as a sense of empowerment
People around me still feel proud and empowered that their business/house is on Google maps and can ask any person to navigate to their place.
Google maps to find the interiors of India
The picture above is from the interior parts of Bhubaneswar and I could locate this house only because of it was listed on Maps by some Local Guide. Without Maps, it would have been virtually impossible to locate this house in the interiors. To have the remotest of places on Maps and being able to navigate to them is a great feeling, especially in India where many places don’t have pin codes leave aside street names and locality names