Search giant Google and social media giant Twitter both recently released year-end reports that indicate how the world searched – and tweeted – in 2010.
Google Zeitgeist 2010
The annual Zeitgeist report, which represents an aggregation of the search terms that people have typed into Google Search over the past year, offers insight on 2010’s fastest-rising global search trends, in categories that include news and events, people, entertainment, sports, consumer electronics, food and drink, health, maps searches, and even humanitarian aid.
Here are some of the search terms that you will find in the Google Zeitgeist 2010. For the complete list, visit the Google Zeitgeist 2010 home page.
10 Fastest Rising
1. Chatroulette: A Russian-based chat website that pairs random strangers from around the world for webcam-based conversations.
2. iPad: Apple’s tablet computer, which was released in April 2010 and generated sales of 3 million units in 80 days.
3. Justin Bieber: The 16-year-old Canadian pop singer who released his first full studio album, My World 2.0, in March 2010.
4. Nicki Minaj: The Trinidadian hip-hop artist who released her debut album, Pink Friday, in November 2010.
5. Friv: A popular online gaming website with free games in a diverse selection of genres.
6. Myxer: A mobile entertainment website that offers free ringtones, MP3s, wallpapers, and videos.
7. Katy Perry: The American pop singer who released her second studio album, Teenage Dream, in August 2010.
8. Twitter: The social networking and microblogging website that generates over 65 million “tweets” a day.
9. GameZer: Another popular online gaming website that offers multi-player online games.
10. Facebook: The massively popular social networking website founded by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who was portrayed in the critically acclaimed 2010 movie by David Fincher, The Social Network.
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
10 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
10 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
Twitter 2010 Top Trends
Twitter, meanwhile, released #Hindsight2010, providing an analysis of the 25 billion tweets that were sent this year. The report includes a list of the overall top trends of 2010, along with top trends in categories that include news events, people, movies, TV, technology, World Cup, sports, and hashtags.
According to the company, “The list of 2010 Twitter Trends reflects what’s happening in our world, demonstrates the power of turning any event or story into a shared experience, and underscores Twitter’s value as a real-time information network.”
Top 10 Twitter Trends of 2010
1. Gulf Oil Spill
2. FIFA World Cup
3. Inception
4. Haiti Earthquake
5. Vuvuzela
6. Apple iPad
7. Google Android
8. Justin Bieber
9. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
10. Pulpo Paul
For more information on #Hindsight 2010, visit Twitter’s 2010 Year in Review page.