If you want to know what Canadians were into this year, it wasn't always politics or world events -- it would seem what really had us buzzing was pinning.
Pinterest topped this year's Google Zeitgeist in Canada, a list that reveals the hottest search terms of 2012.
Other terms on the top 10 list included some of the year’s biggest news stories, including Hurricane Sandy, the Olympics and Lance Armstrong.
The celebrities we were searching the most were Whitney Houston, Jeremy Lin and actor Michael Clark Duncan, while the top musicians were One Direction, Justin Bieber and Drake.
By tallying up the billions of search queries made during the year, the Zeitgeist list offers a unique perspective into what grabbed the consciousness of Canadians in 2012, says Google spokesperson Aaron Brindle.
"It’s a little bit of sociology along with some real-time history," he tells CTVNews.ca.
What’s often most striking about the annual list is how many words and names it contains that most of us had never heard of a year ago.
Pinterest is the perfect example.
Twelve months ago, the social sharing site was in its infancy, accessed only by invitation. Today, it has hooked many users to the point of addiction.
"It caught on like wildfire, but at the beginning of the year, this ‘craft corner of the Internet,’ was really just an upstart and people were curious about it," Brindle says.
"It tells you something about how rapidly these brands become entrenched in our digital lexicon."
The Zeitgeist Top 10 is almost always filled out with the at least one videogame, and this year, it was Diablo 3. The online game sold a stunning 3.5 million copies in 24 hours, the fastest-selling PC game of all time. It also caused a fuss because of its bumpy, server-crashing launch.
“If you’re not a gamer, you likely have no idea what Diablo 3 is, but if you are a gamer, you probably thought this would be No. 1 on the list,” say Brindle.
What's also interesting about the Google Zeitgeist is the insight it offers into how fickle Web users --meaning: all of us -- can be.
Take Kony as an example. A year ago, many of us had paid little attention to the Ugandan warlord. Then for a few weeks this past spring, his name was everywhere as the Kony 2012 campaign took off thanks to an online video that went viral.
Today, it might take a second to remember who Kony is, while the campaign to capture the alleged war criminal has fallen off the public radar.
For further proof of how capricious our interests can be, think back to last year’s No. 1 hottest-trending search term in Canada: Rebecca Black.
Today, many of us can barely remember the California teen whose song "Friday” was only eclipsed in its wretchedness by its accompanying video.
This year, the name on everyone's lips has to be Psy, the Korean pop star who seemingly came out of nowhere with what has become one of the most popular songs of the year -- and the most popular YouTube video or all time, earning close to 1 billion views in just a few months.
"When we look back at this year, I think it will be the year of Gangnam Style," says Brindle, noting the song was #5 on the top trending searches of 2012.
“It’s more proof that things can explode so rapidly on the Internet,” says Brindle.
Top trending searches of 2012
- Hurricane Sandy
- Olympics
- Diablo 3
- Gangnam Style
- Hunger Games
- SOPA
- Star Academie
- Kony
- Zerg Rush
