At the end of every year we get to look back on what the year has brought us, what new fads have come in and, by extension, what has dropped off the radar (sadly Peter Andre is still here).
One of these ‘year in review’ traditions is the annual list published by search engines on what people have been hungry for this year. 2009 saw Michael Jackson become one of the most searched for terms (obviously) but who, or what, has been on people’s minds, and at the end of their fingers as they type furiously on their keyboards, according to Yahoo in 2010?
Let’s look at Yahoo’s list for the UK and the US, as the differences between the two are what really separate us as a people. Firstly, the UK
Top 10 Yahoo Searches in the UK in 2010
- Lottery
- Job Centre (3)
- Weather
- Big Brother (1)
- Cheryl Cole (9)
- TV guide
- World Cup
- Train times (10)
- Katie Price (8)
- Horoscopes
Judging by this list we can see that Yahoo’s users in the UK have one thing on their minds – being unemployed, getting loads of money quick and watching TV. Searches for ‘Lottery’ came in at #1, a new entry on last year’s chart, and show how us Brits seem to be obsessed with winning our way out of financial hardship.
More people in the UK are also using Yahoo to find their local job centre, or find information about getting a new job at the job centre – so long as the weather doesn’t stop them, or the last ever year of Big Brother get in the way.
The World Cup was of interest, but probably only for two weeks as England crashed out to Germany in the second round – and Cheryl Cole’s headlines of her divorce and her malaria scare caused widespread searching on the Internet.
But what of the Americans, what were they searching for on Yahoo in 2010?
Top 10 Yahoo Searches in the USA in 2010
- BP oil spill
- World Cup
- Miley Cyrus
- Kim Kardashian
- Lady Gaga
- iPhone
- Megan Fox
- Justin Bieber
- American Idol
- Britney Spears
Understandably the BP oil spill was foremost in American minds, and it gave them a chance to point the finger at ‘Britain’ for British Petroleum’s mistake. Incredibly the Americans were searching for the World Cup more than we were, but this is believed (according to experts) to be down to them looking more for what it is and how it’s played, rather than information about the teams and fixtures.
New pop sensation Lady Gaga and Transformers actress Megan Fox are in the top 10, along with Kim Kardashian (no, we don’t know who she is either), Miley Cyrus and former top keyword ‘Britney Spears’. The launch of the iPhone 4 caused searches for Apple’s latest phone to enter the top 10, and YouTube legend Justin Bieber also charted.
Where Cheryl Cole ranked in the top 10 in the UK, Simon Cowell’s other show (at least until he launches X-Factor in the USA) American Idol also ranked among the top 10 searches.
So there we have it. The Americans are searching on Yahoo for current affairs, pictures of hot women and gadgets, whereas the British are looking for ways to win the lottery, job centres and the weather.
We’re worlds apart really.
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