Not sure how long it has been out there, or if anyone else started to notice some recent changes by Google in their pursuit to make search more social, but I have just searched for a keyword such as "web hosting" and noticed the last 1-2 search results on the first page come from someone who I am "connected" via Gmail... A function that resembles someone sharing a link on Facebook.
This is what it looks like:
That "you are connected" message is displayed when you rollover the name with a mouse.
Anyone else noticed it?