An article by Wired Magazine had a slightly different title, but the title really should have included Google Earth: “Google Maps Is Changing the Way We See the World“. This article is a good summary of how Google Maps and Google Earth have had a significant impact in many ways on individuals, organizations, governments, politics, the environment and many other perspectives. It covers topics such as censorship, KML standardization, StreetView privacy issues, mapping politics, and user-generated maps. The article is definitely worth a read, but I especially like the photo of John Hanke playing the part of Atlas with the world on his shoulders. I bet he really feels like that sometimes. 
just to be pedantic, Atlas held the heavens, (sky), on his shoulders not the world