Google Tallies 2008 Top Searches

Google doesn't talk about the most frequent search terms, but instead notes things we looked for in 2008 that we weren't looking for in 2007.

Internet search giant Google has released its 2008 End-of-Year Zeitgeist, noting what was hot worldwide in Internet searches for the year. Unlike search engines like AOL and Yahoo who base their end-of-year summaries mostly on the frequency of terms—hence allowing Britney Spears to rule the search engine listings for years on end—Google bases its Zeitgeist both on frequency and on the novelty of terms. In other words, 2008’s zeitgeist is more about what users searched for in 2008 that they were not searching for in 2007. Google claims their method is more indicative of the “spirit of the times”…and it definitely produces some different results.

According to Google, the “fastest rising” search terms worldwide for 2008 were:

1. sarah palin
2. beijing 2008
3. facebook login
4. tuenti
5. heath ledger
6. obama
7. nasza klasa
8. wer kennt wen
9. euro 2008
10. jonas brothers

In the United States, the fastest rising terms were a little different:

1. obama
2. facebook
3. att
4. iphone
5. youtube
6. fox news
7. palin
8. beijing 2008
9. david cook
10. surf the channel

Google also compiled Zeitgeist summaries for a variety of countries and regions, including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, China, Chile, Columbia, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, The Philippines, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Finland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.