Google Zeitgeist – What Did the World Search For in 2013?

Google has released their annual Zeitgeist report.  This reveals the news stories and questions that have most occupied the planet during 2013. Falling in line with previous history, the year’s top search terms are mostly people, including celebrities and famous persons who have died, along with searches for gadgets and technology.

Regarding the list this year, Claudine Beaumont of Google UK said, “Our annual Zeitgeist survey provides a fascinating snapshot of our interests and obsessions for the year…Celebrities always get a lot of interest and the passing of well-known figures makes people want to learn more about them…Despite that, some of the more traditional aspects of British life, from the Grand National to the royal birth, have generated many Google searches and will be remembered as events that have characterised the year.”

The ‘Royal Baby’ was the third most searched for term in the UK in 2013, whilst further down the list, the nation was searching out the terms twerking and Zumba.  In terms of worldwide technology interest, Sony have beaten rivals Microsoft in the console wars, with the PlayStation 4 coming in ninth as the most searched for term in the world, beating its rival, the Xbox One, despite the fact that Microsoft’s entry took the number 10 spot in the UK.

Top Ten U.K. Searches (left) compared to the Global Top Trending searches (right):

Paul Walker – Nelson Mandela

iPhone 5s – Paul Walker

Royal baby – iPhone 5s

Cory Monteith – Cory Monteith

Oscar Pistorius – Harlem Shake

Nelson Mandela – Boston Marathon

Grand National – Royal Baby

Universal Jobmatch – Samsung Galaxy S4

Margaret Thatcher – Playstation 4

Xbox One – North Korea

The most globally searched, in terms of events, is always an interesting list. This year disaster and sport ranked high in the list, as the number one spot was taken, by the Boston Marathon attack, followed in number two by Typhoon Haiyan.  In the fourth position, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with Australian Open and Wimbledon taking the sixth and eighth places respectively.

In the world of hashtags, the Google+ rankings were, not surprisingly, a mixed bag, with Television shows and entertainment hitting high in the top 5, but also a couple of sombre ones too, with #Boston being number 1 and #TyphoonHaiyan at number 3.  It was nice to see the Make-a-Wish Foundation’s #SFBatKid making it in the top ten, though.

The Google list also revealed the top trending apps, and social networking leads the pack, with Facebook, Snapchat, BBM and Vine all being in the top 10.

Overall, we haven’t changed much over the last year, as this comprehensive report shows.  We still search for; celebrities, music, scandal, disaster, war, technology and sport. I wonder if next year will be any different?

[Image via tuxboard]

SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv-sY_z8MNs