In theory, online search is expected to expose us to new experiences and vistas. There’s no limit to what we can explore and discover. But in practice, people universally restrict themselves to searching for things familiar to them.  People with peculiar preferences and tastes, who were previously shy about openly expressing them, tend to assemble around online water coolers which cater to their interests. Once in the company of the like-minded, the middle ground soon vanishes in the echo chamber where everyone reinforces the increasingly strident voices being raised.

Personalisation Muddies the Game 
The problem of echo chambers is worsened by the personalisation route adopted by Search Engines.
Google and other Search Engines now return different search results for the same terms searched by different users. This is because these searches are customized and personalized for the user.  Many critics have raised the valid concern that this personalisation is at the cost of creativity.

For instance, if you were to search in Amazon for a book, you will find it recommending other books which you might like. Very rarely would you be surprised by some original recommendation, since the suggested books are often based on data from your previous searches.

Providing a narrow and relevant information environment makes search useful, no doubt. But the absence of randomness can hurt in other ways. Creativity is often given a boost by the introduction of totally random ideas or stimuli. Think about the apple and Isaac Newton!

Eli Pariser argues in the book Filter Bubble that the search for perfect relevance and the kind of serendipity that promotes creativity, push in opposite directions. He says that ‘if you like this, you’ll like that’ can be a useful tool, but it’s not a source for creative ingenuity. Because, “by definition, ingenuity comes from the juxtaposition (placing side by side) of ideas that are far apart, and relevance comes from finding ideas that are similar”.

What is relevant may not always lead you to serendipity or happy chance finding which is foundational for creativity. So let your search lead you to explore new experiences occasionally. There’s the cost of time, no doubt. But you might strike gold once in a while.

More from Bill Tancer's Click. He found out that 'How To' queries represented nearly 3% of all searches in the United States. This was around 2007. The number might have increased by now. At that time it was the most commonly searched phrase in search engines.
Tancer says though 3% may not look like a large number at first blush, it is indeed shockingly high, considering the hundreds of millions of queries that search engines try to answer every day. Just as in searches incorporating New Year resolutions, here too he was able to identify some patterns. For instance, the 'How To' phrasal search coincided with the US school calendar: it peaked in summer, and ebbed during winter vacation and spring break!
In his research into popular 'How To' queries, Tancer found 'How to tie a tie' regularly topping the charts. But when he checked the data for other countries, he found a noticeable difference. In the UK, for instance, it was only the 51st popular 'How To' query. Perhaps that's because ties are part of the attire of schools in the UK, and tying a proper necktie becomes second nature? Tancer wonders.
Tancer continued with his substantial research into the question, and made an effort to group the 'How To' queries. He found that the most prevalent type were the general knowledge 'How To' questions (@57%), followed by queries of a sexual nature (eg. 'How to Kiss') @ 17%. Self-improvement 'How To' queries (eg. 'How to Lose Weight') @12% and searches for illegal activities (eg. 'How to Grow Weed') @ 9.5% brought up the rear.
Here's a list of the top 10 US 'How To' queries unearthed by Tancer:

1. How to tie a tie
2. How to have sex
3. How to kiss
4. How to lose weight
5. How to write a resume
6. How to levitate
7. How to draw
8. How to get pregnant
9. How to make out
10. How to make a video

Comments are welcome.