Anne Espiritu here with a special Zeitgeist
edition of the Google Beat. Never heard of
Zeitgeist? Well, it’s German for “spirit
of the times.”
Each December here at Google, we look at billions
of queries across Google products to identify
the most popular and fastest rising search
terms over the past year, the ones that really
showcase the spirit of our times. This year,
the spirit is pretty clear - geek is chic!
Technology-related searches dominated our
fastest rising search list in the US this
year. And as some of you might have guessed,
the #1 search term on this list was the iPad.
Searches  peaked when the product was announced
in January and again when it hit the market
in April. We also saw a spike around Black
Friday. Maybe some of you will be getting
an iPad for the holidays!
So what are we learning about 2010 based on
search trends, you ask?  For one, social
web is a trend that’s definitely here to
stay.  Facebook, has remained on our fastest
rising list for four years in a row, which
means it had to be even MORE popular this
year than last to remain on the list. We also
have a few newcomers like chatroulette, a
social video chat site and mocospace, a popular
social mobile network.  
For years, we’ve heard that it’s the "Year
of Mobile" and we think it's actually true
in 2010.
A handful of the top 10 fastest rising search
terms are mobile-related like the iPhone 4
and myxer, a site that offers free ringtones,
mobile wallpaper and MP3s.  In fact, the
number of searches that come from mobile phones
have quadrupled in the last year as Americans
search for more ways to connect with information
while they are out and about.  
Beyond technology, the World Cup drew fans
from the U.S. and abroad. The tournament attracted
huge search volumes throughout June and the
first half of July and shot up to #4 on our
list of the fastest-rising searches in the
U.S. for 2010.
Only one celebrity made our top ten list of
fastest-rising searches, and that was [Justin
Bieber. Not only was he #5 on this year’s
list, Bieber was the most searched for person
both in the U.S. and in the world in 2010.
After being discovered on YouTube in 2008,
searches for the teenage pop star peaked this
past March when his latest album was released
and have remained high throughout the year.
Also in entertainment, Glee, the hit musical
show on FOX, made it into our top 10 list.
 The show moved from the #6 spot last year
to the #9 spot this year. But despite the
drop, the growth in popularity of the show
on Google was significant enough that it remains
on the list of fastest-rising search terms
two years in a row!
We also looked at Google News to see what’s
been popular in the headlines. This year’s
top three fastest rising searches were all
related to major global disasters: the oil
spill, Haiti, and earthquake.
But what’s amazing is the way, we respond.
  Even though the economy is shaky, search
on ways to donate was second highest since
the tsunami in 2005. It shows Americans care.
Rounding out the top 5, two celebrities who
peaked our interest in 2010 News searches
include Sandra Bullock, who came in at #4
and Lindsay Lohan at #5. We have seen Lindsay
appear on Zeitgeist in previous years, but
this is the first time Sandra Bullock made
our list.
To round out our Zeitgeist list this year,
we have to talk about some of the fun ones!
The nation’s favorite comfort food seems
to be chili, which has consistently appeared
on our most popular recipe list in the last
three years.  And while different exercise
fads come and go, it seems that p90x regimen
has sustained its popularity, grabbing the
number one spot both in 2009 and 2010.
Well, that’s it for this special Zeitgeist
edition of the Google Beat. It’s been another
year full of interesting stories and searches.
If you’d like to see more search trends,
you can check out our 2010 Year End Zeitgeist
website.  
I’m Anne Espiritu for the Google Beat.  I’ll
see you back here next week.
