Most people 'Google' for the same reason they hop into that Fast food joint across the street; its convenient. Over the years the value of the information turned up has declined. Most searches turn up Ads, Wikipedia, and other semi-worthless items, requiring the seeker to wade through the dreck, looking for information.
The Power of Google to Judge the value of other websites seemed unnoticed. How many users realised that how Google 'ranks' a site, first page to page one thousand, determines our access to information. If Google's algorithm 'decides' that this site or image is 'better' it places it on the front page as opposed to page nine hundred. Hence, it actually controls our information.
This control was exerted publicly in December 2010 when it changed its algorithm. Deciding Triond, (for example) was a 'Content Farm' all articles posted there are automatically given a minus score. What this means; if you were to enter; "How To Wash Silk" in a Google search, an article with the title 'How To Wash Silk' on Triond will NOT be on the front page. On the Front Page are various other articles with different Titles; i.e. "How To Clean Silk', and this continues for ten plus pages, articles from odd sites with one or two of the words in the Title. This is because Google automatically gives every article published on Triond (as well as other sites labeled 'Content Farms') a minus score.
I use this mundane example of Google's power to control traffic in reference to more controversial topics, in a clear; 'What we want you to Know' form of censorship. Sites which 'please' Google are rated higher even though the information is less valuable, and might have no value at all. Google Searches are not 'neutral' they are not based on 'All the words' in the search. They are based on the 'ranking' of sites.
By automatically giving particular sites 'minus' ratings the traffic to those sites is curtailed. How many people will wade through 20 pages of a Google search? Hence the information is not banned, it is buried. And not buried accidentally.
As clear an interference in the public's right to know, is the usage of advertisements. The change in it's 'Privacy Policy' allows the linkage between advertisements and searches to be connected to the particular user. Hence if you were to do a search on 'AIDs' for a school project, your account would be connected to AIDs and the suggestion that you have AIDs is live. When Google sells your information to other agencies, the possibility of your being infected is indicated. And this will follow you from site to site.
As uncomfortable as this maybe, imagine if you were doing a story about 9/11 and wanted to know about the bombers. Doing a Google will get the flags up, and might make you a person of interest to America's Homeland Security.
As the information is shared among a number of sites, and sold to those who are interested, everything you do on a Google Search is saved. Every site you visit, every term you use, is saved in your account. This makes a vast wealth of information available to who can pay for it.
On March 1, 2012 as the Policy was announced, those who understood immediately changed their search engines. Whether they went to Bing or to safer sites as duckduckgo.com, dogpile.com, etc. they abandoned Google. This is highly recommended.
Inquiring minds will do searches on everything that provokes their interest without thinking about the 'repercussions'. Hence, doing a search on Google for Bankruptcy might cause one's lenders to deny another loan, just as searching for AIDs might have one denied health care or their premiums increased for no reason.
The days of Big Brother are upon us.