We are almost midway through December, and it’s that time of the year when all the tech companies collate interesting statistics and put the year into perspective.Spotify Wrappedhas been available for a few weeks now, but that’s confined to music. As the world’s most popular search engine, perhaps Google’s Year in Search is the best way to get a broader understanding of the trends on the internet. This year is even more special because the company is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Search.
Across operating systems, people use Google Search to access information, and Google makes it easier to do this with tools like Assistant for voice searches, Lens for visual queries, widgets on Android, and the Chrome browser.2023’s Year in Searchis just as interesting as previous years, with global trends indicating most people preferred Lens for translation, entertainment, and text, in that order. Google says shirts, outerwear, and footwear were the top apparel searches on Lens.
Meanwhile, Bones by Imagine Dragons was hummed the most worldwide, judging by attempts to identify the song, and in the US, Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes took that prize. Barbie, Oppenheimer, The Last of Us, Hogwarts Legacy, and Matthew Perry ruled hearts, surprising nobody. Lakers vs. Warriors and Lakers vs. Nuggets were the hottest Versus searches, while the ongoing Israel-Gaza war dominated news-related searches.
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To celebrate 25 years of Search, the company revealed several 25-year trends. Sports like football (soccer) transcended generations and geographies, while Cristiano Ronaldo was the most searched athlete. In this period, people looked back at the 1980s the most, and often revisited Pikachu and the cast of Harry Potter, making them the most searched Pokémon and movie cast, respectively. Barbie became a worldwide toy sensation, and Virat Kohli took the cricket world by storm. TikTok’s ice bucket challenge left an indelible mark in those 25 years, as did COVID-19.
This was merely the tip of the iceberg. Google has rolled the highlights of the most searched moments from the last 25 years into one enthralling video on YouTube. It’s a proper roller coaster for people from every walk of life.
Local Year in Search is back
While global and nationwide trends are fun, you may find it more interesting to reflect upon the most popular activities, music, and stats from your region. If you’re in the US, Google has just the thing for you —Local Year in Searchis making a comeback this year with an enormous collection of the wackiest facts and stats about searches from various states and regions in the US.
you may pull up the Local Year in Search microsite on mobile or the web, and then browse the top searches, songs, and activities. Google makes sure to highlight unique searches in your area, including those for things and places in the general vicinity. If you like the results here, you can always look up theYear in Search from previous years, because the videos are still live on YouTube. The video sharing platform also joins the fun withYouTube Music Recap.
