2013 is finally drawing to a close, and Google has just released its “Zeitgeist” report to see what was on our minds this year.
This year marks Google‘s most global Zeitgeist to date“”with 1,000+ top 10 lists across categories like Trending People, Most-Searched Events and Top Trending Searches from 72 countries, including South Africa.
Julie Taylor, Head of Communications for Google Sub-Saharan Africa, said, “œEvery day, around the world and across South Africa, we search. We want to find out more about people who are making an impact on the world, to learn about events that are making headlines, or just to settle a dinner table dispute between friends. In our annual Year-End Zeitgeist, we reflect on the people, places, and moments that captured the world‘s attention throughout the year.“
South Africa‘s Biggest Moments
Our South African hero, Nelson Mandela, comes in at number one this year after the news of his death that shook not only South Africa, but the world. Other news headlines that have tugged at the heart strings and voices of many South Africans over the year: the court appearance of Oscar Pistorius and death of Vuyo Mbuli feature prominently in this year‘s lists. Melissa Bachman raised many eyebrows after her South African hunting experience, resulting in a roar of heated social media debates around the topic – she comes in fourth to Margaret Thatcher, Kim Kardashian‘s baby (named North West) and South African model, Reeva Steenkamp.
When it comes to “˜fads‘, it seems everyone has exploded into the “˜harlem shake‘ on a dance floor at some stage in 2013, which shimmies it‘s way to the “œtop fad“ spot. Close behind it in popularity is “˜twerking‘ – made famous by Miley Cyrus and now added to the English language by the Oxford online dictionary. Who have South Africans been listening to the most while enjoying these moves? Swedish House Mafia is most popular this year, with South African artist, Vuyo Mokoena also grabbing the attention of listeners.
Here‘s a look at just a few of Google‘s top 10 trending search lists of 2013, as searched for by South Africans. (You can find more extensive lists below and on the Zeitgeist site).
TOP TRENDING SOUTH AFRICAN SEARCHES
1. Nelson Mandela
2. Oscar Pistorius
3. Paul Walker
4. Defencex
5. Vuyo Mbuli
6. OLX
7. Standard Bank internet
8. BBM for Android
9. Reeva Steenkamp
10. Royal Baby
TOP TRENDING MEN
1. Nelson Mandela
2. Oscar Pistorius
3. Paul Walker
4. Vuyo Mbuli
5. Cory Monteith
6. Baby Jake Matlala
7. Burry Stander
8. Lance Armstrong
9. Baba Jukwa
10. Charlie Hunnam
11. Khuli Chana
12. Vuyo Mokoena
TOP TRENDING WOMEN
1. Reeva Steenkamp
2. Kim Kardashian Baby
3. Margaret Thatcher
4. Melissa Bachman
5. Savita Mbuli
6. Amanda Bynes
7. Dakota Johnson
8. Nigella Lawson
9. Celine Dion
10. Anene Booysen
TOP TRENDING FADS
1. Harlem Shake
2. Twerking
3. Gangman Style
4. Wrecking Ball
5. Minions
TOP TRENDING MUSIC ARTISTS
1. Swedish House Mafia
2. Vuyo Mokoena
3. Khuli Chana
4. Kurt Darren
5. Bon Jovi
6. Celine Dion
7. Robin Thicke
8. Metallica
9. Ariana Grande
10. Katy Perry
Global Biggest Moments
As we get ready to turn the page to 2014, Google invites you to take a global journey through the biggest moments from the past 12 months in our Year in Review video.
It‘s perhaps unsurprising that the #1 trending search of 2013 was an international symbol of strength and peace: Nelson Mandela. Global search interest in the former President of South Africa was already high this year, and after his passing, people from around the world turned to Google to learn more about Madiba and his legacy. Tragedies like the “œBoston Marathon“, the 6th trending term globally, and “œTyphoon Haiyan,“ #2 on Google‘s global events list, also captured the world‘s attention. 2013 also had moments that made us move. People uploaded more than 1.7 million video versions of the Harlem Shake to YouTube, propelling it to the #5 spot on Google‘s global list; it was also the second most trending video on YouTube.
Here‘s a full look at Google‘s top 10 global trending searches of 2013:
TOP TRENDING GLOBAL SEARCHES:
1. Nelson Mandela
2. Paul Walker
3. iPhone 5s
4. Cory Monteith
5. Harlem Shake
6. Boston Marathon
7. Royal Baby
8. Samsung Galaxy 4s
9. PlayStation 4
10. North Korea
You can also explore more global trends this year“”directly from Google‘s Zeitgeist homepage. Check out the top 100 trending searches of 2013, and simply click one to dig deeper on Google Trends. Or if you‘d rather be nostalgic, you can take a look back at each year’s Zeitgeist from 2001 onwards.
Finally, Google has made an interactive 3D global map showcasing the top search trends of 2013 by day in cities around the world. You can easily spin the globe, select a city and explore the topics that brought people to search on any day of the year“”from local sports games to international news stories:
SOUTH AFRICAN LISTS
South Africa Top Trending: PEOPLE
1. Nelson Mandela
2. Oscar Pistorius
3. Paul Walker
4. Vuyo Mbuli
5. Reeva Steenkamp
6. Cory Monteith
7. Baby Jake Matlala
8. Kim Kardashian
9. Burry Stander
10. Lance Armstrong
South Africa Top Trending: SOUTH AFRICAN MEN
1. Nelson Mandela
2. Oscar Pistorius
3. Vuyo Mbuli
4. Baby Jake Matlala
5. Burry Stander
6. Khuli Chana
7. Mandla Mandela
8. Vuyo Mokoena
9. Kurt Darren
10. Norman Tloubatla
South Africa Top Trending: SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN
1. Reeva Steenkamp
2. Savita Mbuli
3. Anene Booysen
4. Mandy Rossouw
5. Khuli Roberts
6. Caster Semenya
7. Mamphela Ramphele
8. Mpisane
9. Thandi Maqubela
10. Vega Gupta
South Africa Trending: SPORTSPEOPLE
1. Oscar Pistorius
2. Baby Jake Matlala
3. Burry Stander
4. Lance Armstrong
5. Gareth Bale
6. Mayweather
7. Caster Semenya
8. Mesut Ozil
9. David Moyes
10. Sachin Tendulkar
South Africa Most Searched: SA SPORTSPEOPLE
1. Oscar Pistorius
2. Chad le Clos
3. Cameron van der Burgh
4. Mark Boucher
5. Siphiwe Tshabalala
6. Ernie Els
7. Ryk Neethling
8. Jacques Kallis
9. Sunette Viljoen
10. Graeme Smith
South Africa Trending: POLITICIANS
1. Mamphela Ramphele
2. Mmusi Maimane
3. Lindiwe Mazibuko
4. Patricia De Lille
5. Trevor Manuel
6. Gwede Mantashe
7. Blade Nzimande
8. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
9. Cyri Ramaphosa
10. Helen Zille
South Africa Most Searched: POLITICIANS
1. Jacob Zuma
2. Julius Malema
3. Thabo Mbeki
4. Lindiwe Mazibuko
5. Mamphela Ramphele
6. Helen Zille
7. Cyril Ramaphosa
8. Blade Nzimande
9. Gwede Mantashe
10. Trevor Manuel
South Africa Most Searched: SA COMEDIANS
1. Trevor Noah
2. Barry Hilton
3. Nik Rabinowitz
4. Loyiso Gola
5. Marc Lottering
South Africa Trending: REGULAR EVENTS
1. Afcon
2. Dakar
3. Easter
4. Wimbledon
5. Budget Speech
6. Durban July
7. Oscars
8. Ramadan
9. ICC Champions Trophy
10. Cape Epic
South Africa Trending: EVENTS
1. Nelson Mandela
2. Paul Walker Dies
3. Boston Bombing
4. Reeva Steenkamp Funeral
