Because it's rare enough to have value, it has a nice yellow shining aspect, and, certainly most important, because of it very low electrical potential it's one of the rare metal to exist only under metallic form (most of other metal are under oxidized form, so need to be transformed).
Well you're right, you can do nothing special with gold in everyday life. Food and water is much more precious. Gold has only the value we agree to give it.
Fake news, BIG !
The Der spiegel reporter Claas Relotius ia again under the spotlights, after the scandal of its fake reports, it turns out that he asked money to his readers for Syrian orphan childs, but the money never went to Syria. (Remind me something).
This reported has previously admitted having made fake reports.
He received the "CNN jounalist award" among many other awards.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/claas-relotius-reporter-forgery-scandal-a-1244755.html