What were people searching for in 2008? The search engines know.
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
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