We released a new version of Privacy Badger that updates how we fight “link tracking” across a number of Google products. With this update Privacy Badger removes tracking from links in Google Docs, Gmail, Google Maps, and Google Images results. Privacy Badger now also removes tracking from links add...
YouTube is basically the only video platform where the vast majority video creators are gathered on. PeerTube and the likes are nice, but for the most part, don't even play in the same league, IMHO. YMMV depending on the content you like to consume, of course.
I mostly use a combination of DDG/Brave, but I have to fall back on Google Search way more often than I'd like to find some things. Especially for local (geographically speaking) stuff or non-English content...
It sucks that they dominate so much, but it's not particularly difficult to guess why your average person still use them, no?
Or... Avoid Google products unless absolutely necessary,
I can honestly say I don't hit any front-end Google server for a few days to a week at a time. Occasionally I look some obscure technical issue that only Google search finds and that's usually when I break my streak. Otherwise, there are plenty of alternatives to get you 80% of the way there functionally without touching Google with a 10-ft pole.
Of course, and despite my best efforts, my browser probably hits a lot of back-end Google servers - you know, the gstatic.com, google.com and such that other websites inflict on you and you can't avoid half of the times without breaking the site.