The year's end marks a time to reflect on events over the past 12 months. Several search engines compiled the top searches in several categories for 2008, offering a glimpse into what was top of mind for searchers. Recaps from Google Zeitgeist; Yahoo Buzz; AOL's hot searches; top search terms at Ask.com; and Lycos highlight the trends that came and went over the course of the year.
| Top Google Searches, 2008 |
| Fastest Rising (Global) | Fastest Rising (U.S.) |
| 1 | sarah palin | 1 | obama |
| 2 | bejing 2008 | 2 | facebook |
| 3 | facebook login | 3 | att |
| 4 | tuenti | 4 | iphone |
| 5 | heath ledger | 5 | youtube |
| 6 | obama | 6 | fox news |
| 7 | nasza klasa | 7 | palin |
| 8 | wer kennt wen | 8 | beijing 2008 |
| 9 | euro 2008 | 9 | david cook |
| 10 | jonas brothers | 10 | surf the channel |
| Top of Mind: It's the Economy | Politics: Campaign Buzzwords |
| 1 | financial crisis | 1 | joe the plumber |
| 2 | depression | 2 | jeremiah wright |
| 3 | bailout | 3 | maverick |
| 4 | mortgage crisis | 4 | william ayers |
| 5 | wall street | 5 | bridge to nowhere |
| 6 | oil | 6 | lipstick pig |
| 7 | stock market | 7 | yes we can |
| 8 | subprime | 8 | that one |
| 9 | credit crisis | 9 | rashid khalidi |
| 10 | housing crisis | 10 | hockey mom |
| Source: Google, 2008 |
| Top Yahoo Searches, 2008 |
| Top 10 Overall Searches | Top 10 Economic Searches |
| 1 | Britney Spears | 1 | IRS Stimulus Checks |
| 2 | WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) | 2 | Oil Prices |
| 3 | Barak Obama | 3 | Gold Prices |
| 4 | Miley Cyrus | 4 | Gas Prices |
| 5 | RuneScape | 5 | Dow Jones |
| 6 | Jessica Alba | 6 | Sallie Mae |
| 7 | Naruto | 7 | Stock Market |
| 8 | Lindsay Lohan | 8 | AIG |
| 9 | Angelina Jolie | 9 | Foreclosures |
| 10 | American Idol | 10 | Debt Consolidation |
| Top 10 Politician Searches | Top 10 Searched Influential Women |
| 1 | Barack Obama | 1 | Angelina Jolie |
| 2 | Sarah Palin | 2 | Sarah Palin |
| 3 | John McCain | 3 | Oprah |
| 4 | Hillary Clinton | 4 | Hillary Clinton |
| 5 | George Bush | 5 | Gina Carano |
| 6 | Ron Paul | 6 | Tina Fey |
| 7 | John Edwards | 7 | Michelle Obama |
| 8 | Mike Huckabee | 8 | Katie Couric |
| 9 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | 9 | Barbara Walters |
| 10 | Mitt Romney | 10 | Dana Torres |
| Source: Yahoo, 2008 |
| Top AOL Searches, 2008 |
| Top 10 Financial Faux Pas | Top 10 General Searches |
| 1 | Wachovia | 1 | Dictionary |
| 2 | Washington Mutual | 2 | Weather |
| 3 | Merrill Lynch | 3 | Games |
| 4 | AIG | 4 | Maps |
| 5 | Morgan Stanley | 5 | Lyrics |
| 6 | Lehman Brothers | 6 | University |
| 7 | Freddie Mac | 7 | Movies |
| 8 | Bear Stearns | 8 | Calendar |
| 9 | Fannie Mae | 9 | Zip Codes |
| 10 | Goldman Sachs | 10 | Horoscopes |
| Top 10 Mobile Searches | Top 10 Brands |
| 1 | MySpace | 1 | Apple |
| 2 | AIM | 2 | Coach |
| 3 | iPhone | 3 | Dell |
| 4 | MocoSpace | 4 | Sony |
| 5 | Facebook | 5 | Nike |
| 6 | Craigslist | 6 | Avon |
| 7 | Weather | 7 | Ed Hardy |
| 8 | Free Ringtones | 8 | Louis Vuitton |
| 9 | MapQuest | 9 | Samsung |
| 10 | Match.com | 10 | HP |
Note: Mobile searches are from AOL Mobile Search.
Source: AOL, 2008 |
| Top Lycos Searches, 2008 |
| Top 10 Search Terms | Top 10 News Stories |
| 1 | Poker | 1 | Economic Collapse/Bailout |
| 2 | Paris Hilton | 2 | Presidential Election '08 |
| 3 | YouTube | 3 | Death of Heath Ledger |
| 4 | Golf | 4 | Clay Aiken Comes Out/Becomes Dad |
| 5 | Sarah Palin | 5 | Death of Paul Newman |
| 6 | Britney Spears | 6 | Jennifer Hudson Family Murder |
| 7 | Clay Aiken | 7 | Eliot Spitzer Scandal |
| 8 | Pamela Anderson | 8 | Travis Barker Plane Crash |
| 9 | Facebook | 9 | Sichuan Earthquake |
| 10 | Holly Madison | 10 | War in Iraq |
| Top 10 Fads | Top Three Blog Sites |
| 1 | Poker | 1 | Perez Hilton |
| 2 | YouTube | 2 | Drudge Report |
| 3 | Facebook | 3 | Huffington Post |
| 4 | DIY Home Improvement | | |
| 5 | Digital TV | | |
| 6 | Weight Watchers | | |
| 7 | Craigslist | | |
| 8 | RuneScape | | |
| 9 | Webkinz | | |
| 10 | The Sims | | |
| Source: Lycos, 2008 |
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