Based on the aggregation of billions of search queries people typed into Google this year, the video below, Zeitgeist, captures the spirit of 2010 by showing us the top events and moments in 2010 from around the globe through search, images, and video.
Music: “Good Life” by OneRepublic
2010 in Review
Below are the fastest rising (and some falling) search queries for 2010 by category based on Google's data.
Global Queries- Overview:
Fastest Rising
1. chatroulette
2. ipad
3. justin bieber
4. nicki minaj
5. friv
6. myxer
7. katy perry
8. twitter
9. gamezer
10. facebook
Fastest Falling
1. swine flu
2. wamu
3. new moon
4. mininova
5. susan boyle
6. slumdog millionaire
7. circuit city
8. myspace layouts
9. michael jackson
10. national city bank
Fastest Rising in Entertainment
1. justin bieber
2. shakira
3. eminem
4. netflix
5. youtube videos
6. lady gaga
7. kesha
8. nicki minaj
9. grooveshark
10. transformers 3
Fastest Rising in Sports
1. mundial 2010
2. olympics
3. espn3
4. fifa 11
5. randy moss
6. miami heat
7. mourinho
8. wayne rooney
9. cricket live score
10. david villa
Fastest Rising in Consumer Electronics
1. ipad
2. iphone 4
3. nokia 5530
4. htc evo 4g
5. nokia n900
6. blackberry apps
7. duracell mygrid
8. 트위터
9. otterbox
10. pdanet
Fastest Rising in Food & Drink
1. masterchef
2. 食べログ
3. cupcakes
4. jimmy johns
5. как жрать суши
6. dominos pizza menu
7. tudo gostoso receitas
8. guacamole recipe
9. applebees menu
10. rachel ray
Fastest Rising Maps Searches
1. anhembi parque
2. wm gucken
3. world cup
4. bundeskanzleramt
5. rio branco
6. mt everest
7. kew gardens
8. tour eiffel
9. oxford street
10. nürburgring
Fastest Rising People
1. justin bieber
2. katy perry
3. selena gomez
4. kim kardashian
5. eminem
6. lady gaga
7. miley cyrus
8. taylor lautner
9. megan fox
10. robert pattinson
In the News
1. haiti
2. besiktas
3. chile
4. earthquake
5. lady gaga
6. iphone 4
7. jörg kachelmann
8. menowin fröhlich
9. mobile technology
10. oil spill
Fastest Rising Translations
1. vancouver 2010
2. apprendimento automatico
3. ресторан нью-йорк
4. машинное обучение
5. beijing apartments
6. comercio electrónico
7. st. petersburg restaurants
8. منتزه يلوستون الوطني
9. energia solare
10. dubai tours
Fastest Rising Health Queries
1. hcg diet
2. dr oz
3. aspergers
4. mcdonalds nutrition
5. vitamin d deficiency
6. appendicitis symptoms
7. cholera
8. nfp
9. vacina h1n1
10. whooping cough
Fastest Rising Humanitarian Aid
1. donate to haiti
2. donate to pakistan
3. text to donate
4. doctors without borders
5. download to donate
6. red cross canada
7. blood donation restrictions
8. donate blood australia
9. donate now button
10. csl plasma
The following are for United States Queries only:
Quirky:
Fastest Rising Costumes
1. snooki costume
2. katy perry costume
3. avatar costume
4. iron man costume
5. buzz lightyear costume
6. lady gaga costume
7. antoine dodson costume
8. hit girl costume
9. sock monkey costume
10. kenny powers costume
Fastest Rising Dance Moves
1. dougie dance
2. zumba dance
3. glee safety dance
4. john wall dance
5. wobble line dance
6. diski dance
7. potty dance
8. shuffle dance
9. time warp dance
10. cabbage patch dance
How to…
1. how to draw
2. how to kiss
3. how to knit
4. how to meditate
5. how to dougie
6. how to flirt
7. how to hack
8. how to fight
9. how to sing
10. how to dance
What is…
above image: smkserian.blogspot.com
1. what is love
2. what is skype
3. what is lupus
4. what is gluten
5. what is gout
6. what is twitter
7. what is autism
8. what is 3g
9. what is k2
10. what is hpv
Strangest Searches from the Year
1. can a horse have ocd?
2. am i bipolar or overachiever?
3. why are americans afraid of dragons?
4. ninjas are better than pirates
5. why is a raven like a writing desk?
6. why does brian wilson dye his beard?
7. should i marry him?
8. i wish i could speak whale
9. why couldn't you stand on the sun's surface?
10. why does my baby grunt?
Fastest Rising Slang
1. g6
2. gtl
3. smh
4. mlib
5. jorts
6. tfln
7. grenade
8. iced
9. rickrolled
10. dts
Celebrity /People:
Most Popular People
1. justin bieber
2. lady gaga
3. kim kardashian
4. nicki minaj
5. miley cyrus
6. katy perry
7. lil wayne
8. taylor swift
9. eminem
10. megan fox
Fastest Rising People
1. justin bieber
2. kesha
3. wiz khalifa
4. nicki minaj
5. christina hendricks
6. heidi montag
7. katy perry
8. kid cudi
9. kim kardashian
10. lindsay lohan
Rest in Peace
1. gary coleman
2. alexander mcqueen
3. casey johnson
4. corey haim
5. paul gray
6. peter steele
7. teddy pendergrass
8. dennis hopper
9. leslie nielsen
10. jd salinger
I Thee Wed (Fastest Rising Weddings)
1. rush limbaugh and kathryn rogers
2. hilary duff and mike comrie
3. chelsea clinton and marc mezvinsky
4. carrie underwood and mike fisher
5. katy perry and russell brand
6. alicia keys and swizz beatz
7. carmelo anthony and lala vasquez
8. megan fox and brian austin green
9. emily blunt and john krasinski
10. bethenny frankel and josh hoppy
Breakups
1. sandra bullock and jesse james
2. melissa etheridge and tammy lynn michaels
3. chelsea handler and ted harbert
4. halle berry and gabriel aubry
5. charlize theron and stuart townsend
6. susan sarandon and tim robbins
7. jake pavelka and vienna girardi
8. salman kahn and katrina kaif
9. miley cyrus and liam hemsworth
10. kim kardashian and reggie bush
Haircuts
1. l'il wayne
2. emma watson
3. janet jackson
4. willie nelson
5. rihanna
6. willow smith
7. dorothy hamill
8. hayden panettiere
9. heidi klum
10. joe jonas haircut
TV Show Hosts
1. sarah silverman
2. conan o'brien
3. craig ferguson
4. oprah winfrey
5. ellen degeneres
6. dave chapelle
7. george lopez
8. jay leno
9. tyra banks
10. david letterman
Twitter Accounts
1. justin bieber
2. kim kardashian
3. kanye west
4. lady gaga
5. demi lovato
6. drake
7. lebron james
8. lindsay lohan
9. miley cyrus
10. perez hilton
Entertainment/movies/tv/music/gaming/gadgets:
Fastest Rising Gadgets
1. ipad
2. iphone 4
3. evo 4g
4. palm pre plus
5. sony google tv
6. duracell mygrid
7. nokia 5530
8. sony ereader
9. kindle
10. ipod touch
Fastest Rising Apps
1. netflix app
2. alchemy app
3. facebook ipad app
4. swype
5. onstar app
6. tango app
7. chase app
8. skype app
9. words with friends
10. nfl mobile app
Fastest Rising Lyrics
1. b.o.b - airplanes
2. nicki minaj - your love
3. travie mccoy - billionaire
4. katy perry - california gurls
5. chris brown - deuces
6. justin bieber - eenie meenie
7. katy perry - firework
8. far east movement - like a g6
9. eminem - space bound
10. katy perry - teenage dream
Fastest Rising Memes
1. forever alone meme
2. inception meme
3. keanu meme
4. tumblr meme
5. frog meme
6. ducreaux meme
7. amber lamps
8. cigar guy
9. deal with it meme
10. double rainbow
Movie Trailers
1. twilight eclipse
2. harry potter and the deathly hallows
3. iron man 2
4. a team
5. alice in wonderland
6. avatar
7. dear john
8. despicable me
9. expendables
10. green lantern
Hot Video Games
1. black ops
2. halo reach
3. mass effect 2
4. starcraft 2
5. poptropica
6. red dead redemption
7. fallout new vegas
8. google pacman
9. pokemon soul silver
10. fable 3
Hottest Seat in Town
1. justin bieber
2. minnesota twins
3. lady gaga
4. oprah
5. super bowl
6. jack johnson
7. chelsea handler
8. texas rangers
9. miami heat
10. sf giants
TV Shows
1. lost
2. american idol
3. snl
4. family guy
5. the office
6. big brother
7. real housewives
8. star trek
9. 24
10. glee
Commercials
1. ipad commercial
2. tebow commercial
3. old spice commercial
4. tiger woods commercial
5. axe commercial
6. doritos commercial
7. lebron james commercial
8. kia commercial
9. black ops commercial
10. geico pig commercial
Sports:
Spirit of the World Cup
1. paul the octopus
2. vuvuzela
3. world cup concert
4. espn 3
5. shakira
6. ghana
7. netherlands
8. espn radio
9. univision
10. abc
Fastest Rising Sports Queries
1. world cup schedule
2. olympics
3. lebron james
4. espn 3
5. ufc
6. world cup scores
7. ryder cup
8. curling
9. randy moss
10. shaun white
Winter Olympics Queries
1. ctv olympics
2. olympics medal counts
3. olympics luge crash
4. vancouver olympics schedule
5. curling olympics
6. hockey olympics
7. lindsey vonn
8. ski cross
9. men's halfpipe
10. kim yuna
Coaches
1. mike krzyzewski (duke basketball)
2. wade phillips (dallas cowboys)
3. bruce pearl (tennessee basketball)
4. wendell hudson (alabama football)
5. josh mcdaniels (denver broncos)
6. brad stevens (butler basketball)
7. jim caldwell (indianapolis colts)
8. rex ryan (new york jets)
9. phil jackson (la lakers)
10. erik spoelstra (miami heat)
Most Popular Athletes
1. chael sonnen
2. lorenzen wright
3. scotty lago
4. diego forlan
5. brett favre
6. vincent jackson
7. darrelle revis
8. apolo ohno
9. buster posey
10. sidney rice
Fastest Rising Baseball Players
1. tim lincecum
2. armando galarraga
3. colby lewis
4. ubaldo jimenez
5. cody ross
6. edinson volquez
7. tyler colvin
8. cliff lee
9. roy oswalt
10. lance berkman
Fastest Rising Basketball Players
1. amare stoudemire
2. carmelo anthony
3. donte west
4. lebron james
5. nate robinson
6. chris bosh
7. lorenzen wright
8. mel turpin
9. tracy mcgrady
10. steve blake
Fastest Rising Football Players
1. vincent jackson
2. randy moss
3. miles austin
4. drew brees
5. reggie bush
6. wade phillips
7. colt mccoy
8. brett favre
9. tim tebow
10. andre johnson
Fastest Rising Soccer Players
1. david villa
2. mesut ozil
3. kevin prince
4. sami khedira
5. cristiano ronaldo
6. miroslav klose
7. manuel neuer
8. jesus navas
9. diego forlan
10. gonzalo higuan
Fastest Rising Tennis Players
1. venus williams
2. francesca schiavone
3. mikhail youzhny
4. john isner
5. tsvetana pironkova
6. nicolas mahut
7. ryan harrison
8. samantha stosur
9. teymuraz gabashvili
10. paul annacone
Humanity:
Fastest Rising Charitable Giving
1. donate to pakistan
2. donate to haiti
3. text to donate
4. download to donate
5. doctors without borders
6. donate medical supplies
7. red cross
8. unicef
9. donate now button
10. donate bone marrow
Nobel Prize Nominees and Winners
1. barack obama
2. al gore
3. albert einstein
4. dr. louis ignarro
5. elie wiesel
6. andre geim and konstantin novoselov
7. greg mortenson
8. john nash
9. liu xiaobo
10. marie curie
Most Popular Health Queries
1. heart
2. nutrition
3. diabetes
4. blood pressure
5. medicare
6. herpes
7. anxiety
8. back pain
9. hiv
10. thyroid
Fastest Rising in Books & Literature
1. pretty little liars
2. stieg larsson
3. jd salinger
4. sookie stackhouse novels
5. water for elephants
6. robert louis stevenson
7. sherlock holmes
8. ar book finder
9. eragon book 4
10. free ebooks
Data and methodology as per Google:
Methodology
To compile the 2010 Year-End Zeitgeist, we studied the aggregation of billions of queries people typed into Google search this year. We use data from multiple sources, including Insights for Search and internal data tools. We also filter out spam and repeat queries to build out lists that best reflect the spirit of the times. All of the search queries we studied are anonymous—no personal information was used.
A word about how we describe the lists: except where noted, all of these search terms are most popular for 2010—ranked in order of the queries with the largest volume of searches this year. In some cases, we list the “fastest rising” queries, which means we found the most popular searches conducted in 2010 and then ranked them based on how much their popularity increased compared to 2009. Conversely, “fastest falling” queries were very popular in 2009 but flattened in popularity in 2010.
Dig deeper
Our Year-End Zeitgeist is just a small sampling of the queries and search trends that we found interesting this year. If you want to go beyond what we’ve shared here, try using these tools to discover more about global and regional search terms over time (in some cases, as far back as 2004).
- Google Trends – For a broad look at search query data, enter up to five search terms to see relative popularity over time. You can use Trends to compare terms in any language from any country—the interface is currently available in U.S. English, Chinese and Japanese.
- Trends for Websites – Google Trends for website traffic data. Type in a website address to see visitors by region and related sites visited. Currently available in U.S. English only.
- Insights for Search – A closer look at search query data for power users. Create your own lists of “most popular” and “fastest rising” queries for different geographic regions over time and by topic. Insights for Search is available in 40 languages.
- Hot Trends (India, Japan, Singapore and U.S. only) – The top 40 fastest-rising search queries right now, updated continuously throughout the day.
Personalize it
Perhaps you just want to take a closer look at your own web behavior over the past year. While the data we used for our Zeitgeist is anonymous and in aggregate, there are a few places you can look to examine your own personal search trends if you have a Google account.
- Web History – If you’ve chosen to enable Web History in your Google Account, you can get an interesting glimpse at your own web activity, such as top queries and peak activity over time. To try it out, log into Web History with your Google Account and click on the “Trends” tab. This might not account for all of your web activity, but it can be a fun look back at your query and browsing history over time.
- Google Reader – If you use Google Reader to read blogs and other RSS feeds, you can view your reading trends by going to the “Trends” tab under “Your stuff” in the lefthand menu.
Let it live on
Stay up to speed on hot topics from this year and catch the latest new ones as they crop up in 2011. We offer a variety of ways for you to keep up to date on your favorite topics and get more information about them.
- Google Alerts – Keep track of the topics that matter to you most by signing up for Google Alerts and receive email updates about the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) for that query.
- Realtime Search – Stay up to speed on the latest conversations around your favorite topics with our Realtime Search results. See up to the second tweets, status updates, and more about any topic you care about.
all information courtesy of Google