Not only does Google organise our information, but it shapes the way we think about the web.
A decade ago, when Stanford students Larry Page and Sergey Brin began working on search technology, it is unlikely they were thinking about becoming one of the biggest brands in the world.
The little search engine that could is a multibillion-dollar corporation -- and, almost inevitably, it is getting the bad press that goes along with the position.
While Google's supporters point to how useful its web applications are, some wonder whether market dominance is desirable.
For every fan who points to "don't be evil", there are critics who worry about the firm's cooperation with a censorious and politically repressive Chinese government.
Just a few years after it entered the world, Google is so ubiquitous that it is beginning the transition from well-loved innovator to bastion of corporate America.
On this trajectory, it might not be long before it achieves a status comparable to McDonald's, Wal-Mart and, of course, Microsoft.
Google's supporters say there is a long-standing tradition that when something successful is built up, it is swiftly knocked down.
"They are competing with Microsoft and not competing with them at the same time: they're not making office suites and the like, but they are taking on some of the MSN web services.
Jeff Jarvis, media commentator and consultant "As a company, Google has done wonderful things: It has re-architected knowledge with its search; it has taken the cooties off citizens' media with its ads on blogs.
One of the biggest problems is that it anonymises.
Gmail lets you sign up anonymously, and lets you mail anonymously, too.
James Cridland, head of new media, Virgin Radio "Everything that Google does, I use.