Tag Archives: Trends

The High Five: Hurricane Irma, DACA and the Pope—search trends from this week

Each week, we take a look at the most-searched trends (with help and data from the team at Google News Lab). Here are a few top trends from this week:

Hurricane Irma

Irma was on the minds of many throughout the week, as the hurricane devastated the Caribbean and headed toward the U.S. As Florida braces for impact, people are searching for how to prepare—top searches in Florida include “how to board up windows” and “how to install hurricane shutters.” Floridians are also searching for where they can stock up on supplies like sandbags and water. Across the U.S., top queries include, “Where has Hurricane Irma hit?” “How wide is the eye of Hurricane Irma?” and “How to volunteer for Hurricane Irma?”

DACA

President Trump’s administration rescinded DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), which provides legal protection for immigrants—known as “Dreamers”—who came to the U.S. unlawfully as children. People searched for more information about the legislation, as well as information about how to take action. The top three questions about DACA were: “What to say to senators about DACA?” “When was DACA set to expire?” and “What do DACA recipients receive?” The top three states searching for DACA—Arizona, California and New Mexico—are ones with high populations of Dreamers.

On a lighter note

This week, celebrity news was ready to pop with baby announcements. Two celebrity couples—Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, and Princess Kate and Prince William—are expecting baby number three. Top searches for Kim and Kanye were about Kim’s surrogate, and people wanted to know who the surrogate is, why they’re using one, and how much they’re paying her. As for William and Kate, people are curious about the ages of the parents as well as the ages of their babies. If all this baby talk has you wondering about popular names these days, the top searched baby names this week were James, Isabella and Michael.

“Wow, in front of the Pope!”

That’s how the head of the Catholic Church responded when a young man proposed to his girlfriend during a papal audience. Bold move. People were searching about the proposal and for other Pope-related information like, “How long has the Pope been the Pope?” and “What country did the Pope recently visit?” And speaking of proposals … the top “how to’s” related to proposals include: “How to know if you should propose, “How to get your boyfriend to propose,” and “How to tell if he’ll ever propose.” Not sure Google (or the Pope) can help answer that one.

Roses are red, chocolates are ruby

The final trend of the week ends on a sweet note. Swiss company Barry Callebaut debuted a new natural ruby-colored chocolate this week, and chocolate lovers must know: “Where to buy ruby chocolate? “What variety bean is used in ruby chocolate?” and “Is Ruby chocolate vegan?” Other than pink chocolate, top searched pink foods this week were “pink drink Starbucks,” “pink moscato” and “pink champagne.”

The High Five: top searches from the week of August 28

Hurricane Harvey

This week, attention in the U.S. turned to Hurricane Harvey and its devastating impact in Texas and Louisiana. People are searching for how to help, as well as for information about future storm Hurricane Irma—which was upgraded to a Category 3 and is moving across the Atlantic. The top queries regarding the storm were “How to donate clothes to Hurricane Harvey,” “How to help Houston,” and “How much money has been raised for Hurricane Harvey?”

Search never felt so good

If you were searching for Michael Jackson this week, You are Not Alone. It was the King of Pop’s birthday on Tuesday, and search interest in “Michael Jackson birthday” was 1,750% higher than “Michael Jackson songs.” Listening to his hits in honor of his birthday? I Can’t Help It either. Top-searched Michael Jackson songs were: “Bad,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Man In The Mirror.” We’ve Got a Good Thing Going in Nevada, where the most searches for Michael Jackson occurred.

XOXO

The iconic series “Gossip Girl” turns 10 this month. While Chuck Bass was the most searched character this week, Blake Lively was the most searched actor from Gossip Girl. Top searched questions about the show were: “Who is Gossip Girl?” (no spoilers here) “How many seasons of Gossip Girl are there?” (six) and “Who does Serena end up with on Gossip Girl?” (we said we’re not spoiling it!).

Getting better with age

A former Catholic monk has filed a lawsuit against L’Oréal, claiming that the company stole his patented formula for an anti-aging cream. One of the top related searches was “L'Oréal skin cream monk” (can’t say we’ve ever heard that phrase before), and the most search interest is coming from New Jersey. While we’re on the subject of beauty products, the top trending makeup searches from this week are “feather eyebrows,” “lipstick," “best foundation for oily skin,” “blush” and “makeup brushes.”

It’s never too early

The hallmark of the Fall season—pumpkin-spiced food and drinks—is officially back. Search interest in “pumpkin spice” spikes every September and October, and this week people were most interested to find out when the Pumpkin Spice Latte returns to Starbucks, and (the question on everybody’s mind), “Is it Pumpkin Spice Latte season?” The love for pumpkin spice goes beyond lattes: top searched pumpkin spice recipes this week were pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin spice cookies, pumpkin spice poke cake, and pumpkin spice muffins.


The High Five: top searches from the week of August 28

Here are the week’s top-searched trends, with data from the team at Google News Lab.

Hurricane Harvey

This week, attention in the U.S. turned to Hurricane Harvey and its devastating impact in Texas and Louisiana. People are searching for how to help, as well as for information about future storm Hurricane Irma—which was upgraded to a Category 3 and is moving across the Atlantic. The top queries regarding the storm were “How to donate clothes to Hurricane Harvey,” “How to help Houston,” and “How much money has been raised for Hurricane Harvey?”

Search never felt so good

If you were searching for Michael Jackson this week, You are Not Alone. It was the King of Pop’s birthday on Tuesday, and search interest in “Michael Jackson birthday” was 1,750% higher than “Michael Jackson songs.” Listening to his hits in honor of his birthday? I Can’t Help It either. Top-searched Michael Jackson songs were: “Bad,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Smooth Criminal,” and “Man In The Mirror.” We’ve Got a Good Thing Going in Nevada, where the most searches for Michael Jackson occurred.

XOXO

The iconic series “Gossip Girl” turns 10 this month. While Chuck Bass was the most searched character this week, Blake Lively was the most searched actor from Gossip Girl. Top searched questions about the show were: “Who is Gossip Girl?” (no spoilers here) “How many seasons of Gossip Girl are there?” (six) and “Who does Serena end up with on Gossip Girl?” (we said we’re not spoiling it!).

Getting better with age

A former Catholic monk has filed a lawsuit against L’Oréal, claiming that the company stole his patented formula for an anti-aging cream. One of the top related searches was “L'Oréal skin cream monk” (can’t say we’ve ever heard that phrase before), and the most search interest is coming from New Jersey. While we’re on the subject of beauty products, the top trending makeup searches from this week are “feather eyebrows,” “lipstick," “best foundation for oily skin,” “blush” and “makeup brushes.”

It’s never too early

The hallmark of the Fall season—pumpkin-spiced food and drinks—is officially back. Search interest in “pumpkin spice” spikes every September and October, and this week people were most interested to find out when the Pumpkin Spice Latte returns to Starbucks, and (the question on everybody’s mind), “Is it Pumpkin Spice Latte season?” The love for pumpkin spice goes beyond lattes: top searched pumpkin spice recipes this week were pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin spice cookies, pumpkin spice poke cake, and pumpkin spice muffins.


Source: Search


The High Five: looking up, growing up and still dancing

Will Taylor Swift’s new album eclipse all others? Did I permanently damage my eyeballs this week? How did Patrick Swayze pull off that lift dance move? We had a lot of questions this week—check out some of the week’s top-searched trends.

Eyes on the sky

On Monday, some searched the sky for the eclipse while others searched on Google: “Where is the solar eclipse right now?” and “When will the solar eclipse happen near me?” And what about the people who neglected the proper eyewear? Search interest in “retina damage” spiked 760% on the day of the eclipse, with searches like “How to tell if you have damaged your eyes during the eclipse” and “Why is the solar eclipse bad for your eyes?” It took the solar eclipse a century to make a comeback, but Jim Steinman and Bonnie Rait’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” only took 34 years—search interest in the 80’s hit was at an all-time high this week.

They grow up so fast

This week, Former President Obama parked his car in the Harvard Yard—Malia moved to college, and she’s following in Dad’s footsteps by donning Harvard crimson. People are following along the move-in journey, searching, “What dorm is Malia Obama in?” “What is Malia studying at Harvard?” and “Does Malia Obama have secret service protection now?”

Still having the time of our lives

Decades later, no one puts Dirty Dancing in a corner. The film turns 30 years old this week and people are feeling nostalgic (and curious) with searches like, “How old was Jennifer Grey when she did Dirty Dancing?” “How old were the characters in Dirty Dancing supposed to be?” and “Is Dirty Dancing on Netflix?” The top region searching for Dirty Dancing is the state where it was filmed, North Carolina.

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Snake it off

This week Taylor Swift teased her new album, Reputation, with a series of snake videos on her Instagram, and fans searched for the reason behind the reptilian reveal: “Who called Taylor Swift a snake?” and “Taylor swift snake meme.” But in the end, it’s all about the music— search interest in “Taylor Swift Reputation” was 440% higher than “Taylor Swift snake.”

Winner winner

The odds of winning the lottery are wicked low, but people still have some questions about Thursday’s $759 million Powerball ticket: “Who won the powerball?” “Where was the winning powerball ticket purchased?” and “What is power play in powerball?” Though the winning ticket was sold in Massachusetts, regions searching the most for Powerball were Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware and West Virginia.

The High Five: A GOAT, a pig and a calf

A GOAT, a pig and a calf walk into a barn … and you get a few of the most popular searches from this week.

GOAT = greatest of all time

Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady is taking a pass at writing. The cover of his first book—which explains how Brady has stayed in wicked good shape throughout his career—was revealed this week. Brady’s big four-oh was Thursday (other trending birthdays this week include Harry Potter, Jennifer Lopez and Khloe Kardashian), and top searched questions about Brady were, “Why is Tom Brady a GOAT?” and “What type of diet is Tom Brady on?” Not surprisingly, the most search traffic for Tom Brady came from New England: Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.  

cw

Some farm

“Was E.B. White a vegetarian?” That was a top searched question this week, now that the farm that inspired “Charlotte’s Web” (and its lovable protagonist pig Wilbur) is up for sale. Other searchers wondered: “Who illustrated Charlotte’s Web?” and “Where was E.B. White’s farm in Maine?” Now that White’s farm is on the market, search interest for Charlotte's Web spun up 300 percent this week.

You don’t see this everyday

While some were asking about E.B White’s meat intake, we’re wondering whether Gene Simmons will ever touch a hamburger again. This week a baby calf that looks exactly the KISS frontman was born, causing search interest in Gene Simmons cow to spike 1,400 percent. But apparently Gene Simmons can take the shape of several animals … other trending searches included “Gene simmons goat” and “cat looks like Gene Simmons.”

#science

In a scientific first, researchers used genetic-engineering tool CRISPR to “cut and paste” DNA for a disease-causing gene in human embryos. Search interest in genome editing reached its highest point this month and spiked 800 percent this week, with questions like “What are designer gene editing babies?” and “What does God say about gene editing?” About CRISPR specifically, people want to know: “How does CRISPR insert genetic information?” and “Who owns the CRISPR patent?”

Movin’ on

This week soccer superstar Neymar announced his move from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain F.C. The total cost of the deal is expected to be $528 million, making Neymar the world’s most expensive soccer player and the subject of many search queries, like “Why did Neymar leave?” and “How much did Neymar cost for PSG?” This week search interest in Neymar was 5x more than his former teammate Lionel Messi (who said everything has to be a competition?).

The High Five: A GOAT, a pig and a calf

A GOAT, a pig and a calf walk into a barn … and you get a few of the most popular searches from this week.

GOAT = greatest of all time

Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady is taking a pass at writing. The cover of his first book—which explains how Brady has stayed in wicked good shape throughout his career—was revealed this week. Brady’s big four-oh was Thursday (other trending birthdays this week include Harry Potter, Jennifer Lopez and Khloe Kardashian), and top searched questions about Brady were, “Why is Tom Brady a GOAT?” and “What type of diet is Tom Brady on?” Not surprisingly, the most search traffic for Tom Brady came from New England: Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire.  

Some farm

“Was E.B. White a vegetarian?” That was a top searched question this week, now that the farm that inspired “Charlotte’s Web” (and its lovable protagonist pig Wilbur) is up for sale. Other searchers wondered: “Who illustrated Charlotte’s Web?” and “Where was E.B. White’s farm in Maine?” Now that White’s farm is on the market, search interest for Charlotte's Web spun up 300 percent this week.

You don’t see this everyday

While some were asking about E.B White’s meat intake, we’re wondering whether Gene Simmons will ever touch a hamburger again. This week a baby calf that looks exactly the KISS frontman was born, causing search interest in Gene Simmons cow to spike 1,400 percent. But apparently Gene Simmons can take the shape of several animals … other trending searches included “Gene simmons goat” and “cat looks like Gene Simmons.”

#science

In a scientific first, researchers used genetic-engineering tool CRISPR to “cut and paste” DNA for a disease-causing gene in human embryos. Search interest in genome editing reached its highest point this month and spiked 800 percent this week, with questions like “What are designer gene editing babies?” and “What does God say about gene editing?” About CRISPR specifically, people want to know: “How does CRISPR insert genetic information?” and “Who owns the CRISPR patent?”

Movin’ on

This week soccer superstar Neymar announced his move from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain F.C. The total cost of the deal is expected to be $528 million, making Neymar the world’s most expensive soccer player and the subject of many search queries, like “Why did Neymar leave?” and “How much did Neymar cost for PSG?” This week search interest in Neymar was 5x more than his former teammate Lionel Messi (who said everything has to be a competition?).

Source: Search


The High Five: drive-thru and carry on

Lyft meets late night tacos, pop stars meet politicians and travelers will meet a new TSA rule. Meet five of this week's top searched trends, with data compiled by the Google News Lab. 

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Five stars for tacos

This is how it’s done in Orange County. Testing out Lyft’s new Taco Mode, people can make a late night pitstop at a Taco Bell drive-thru between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. Based on search data, they’re most likely to pick up a Chalupa, quesadilla, Crunchwrap, nachos or burrito. And despite the launch and Taco Bell’s (in)famous “Fourth Meal,” this week most people are searching for tacos at 3 p.m.

The tablet’s out of the bag

TSA announced Wednesday that carry-on electronics larger than a cellphone will be screened separately at U.S. airports. Perhaps hoping to avoid the extra security measure, people are searching more for TSA precheck, and searches for TSA electronics increased by 1,800 percent this week. Top searched questions about “TSA screening” include “Who approves TSA screening equipment?” “What is TSA pre-screening?” and “When do the new TSA computer electronics screening rules go into effect?”

Gamechanger

A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 99 percent of former NFL players’ brains that had been donated for medical research. Search interest in “CTE” spiked 2,500 percent this week, with queries like “How to test for CTE,” “How common is CTE?” and “What are the symptoms of CTE?” Search interest in CTE Symptoms even surpassed cold symptoms.

The People’s Princess

Search interest in Princess Diana went up 300 percent after a new HBO documentary, in which Princes Harry and William open up about their mother, was released this week. “Diana, Our Mother” was searched 230 percent more than Netflix’s “The Crown,” and top searched questions in Princess Diana’s home country, the U.K., were: “Where did Princess Diana’s car crash?” “Who did Diana leave her jewelry to in her will?” and “How old was Diana when she had William?”

Work, work, work, work, work

This week pop star Rihanna met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss global education. People were curious about the substance of the meeting, among other things—searching “What happened when Rihanna met Emmanuel Macron?” and “What is Rihanna wearing to meet Emmanuel Macron?” And you too, Bono? Earlier in the week, Bono met with Macron to discuss poverty, but search interest in Rihanna’s meeting was 900 percent higher than Bono’s.

The High Five: drive-thru and carry on

Lyft meets late night tacos, pop stars meet politicians and travelers will meet a new TSA rule. Meet five of this week's top searched trends, with data compiled by the Google News Lab. 

Five stars for tacos

This is how it’s done in Orange County. Testing out Lyft’s new Taco Mode, people can make a late night pitstop at a Taco Bell drive-thru between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. Based on search data, they’re most likely to pick up a Chalupa, quesadilla, Crunchwrap, nachos or burrito. And despite the launch and Taco Bell’s (in)famous “Fourth Meal,” this week most people are searching for tacos at 3 p.m.

The tablet’s out of the bag

TSA announced Wednesday that carry-on electronics larger than a cellphone will be screened separately at U.S. airports. Perhaps hoping to avoid the extra security measure, people are searching more for TSA precheck, and searches for TSA electronics increased by 1,800 percent this week. Top searched questions about “TSA screening” include “Who approves TSA screening equipment?” “What is TSA pre-screening?” and “When do the new TSA computer electronics screening rules go into effect?”

Gamechanger

A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 99 percent of former NFL players’ brains that had been donated for medical research. Search interest in “CTE” spiked 2,500 percent this week, with queries like “How to test for CTE,” “How common is CTE?” and “What are the symptoms of CTE?” Search interest in CTE Symptoms even surpassed cold symptoms.

The People’s Princess

Search interest in Princess Diana went up 300 percent after a new HBO documentary, in which Princes Harry and William open up about their mother, was released this week. “Diana, Our Mother” was searched 230 percent more than Netflix’s “The Crown,” and top searched questions in Princess Diana’s home country, the U.K., were: “Where did Princess Diana’s car crash?” “Who did Diana leave her jewelry to in her will?” and “How old was Diana when she had William?”

Work, work, work, work, work

This week pop star Rihanna met with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss global education. People were curious about the substance of the meeting, among other things—searching “What happened when Rihanna met Emmanuel Macron?” and “What is Rihanna wearing to meet Emmanuel Macron?” And you too, Bono? Earlier in the week, Bono met with Macron to discuss poverty, but search interest in Rihanna’s meeting was 900 percent higher than Bono’s.

Source: Search


The High Five: Live every week like you’ll discover a dinosaur fossil

This week a human races a shark, and a dinosaur was discovered a million years after it walked the Earth. It’s a whole new world out there. Here’s what people are searching for this week:

shark_grey.gif

Phelps has the gold, now he’s going for the White

Shark Week returns Sunday night on the Discovery Channel, and this year it’s going to the next level with a “race” between Olympian Michael Phelps and a great white shark. So far Phelps is beating “great white shark” in search traffic, but all bets are off in the water. Delaware, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania are the regions with the most searches for “Shark Week,” but people are also interested in Amity Island’s resident killer “Jaws,” which was the top searched shark movie of the week.

Stumbling on history

This week’s excavation of a million-year old Stegomastadon is making news after a boy tripped over its fossilized skull while hiking with his family in New Mexico. Search interest in Stegomastadon went up than 700 percent with queries like, “What does a stegomastodon look like?” and “How long ago did dinosaurs live?” Even with its moment in the limelight this week, Stegomastadon was searched less than Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptor.

Get those people a croissant

After 23 days, 21 stages, and more than 2,000 miles, cyclists will cross the Tour de France finish line in Paris this weekend. Curious about how that is physically possible, people are searching: “How many rest days are there in the Tour de France?” and “How long is a stage in the Tour de France?” Search interest in “yellow jersey” (worn by the leader of the race and ultimately presented to the winner) spiked 200 percent this week.

O.J. stirs things up

After serving an eight-year prison sentence for armed robbery, O.J. Simpson was released on parole this week. Leading up to the hearing, people searched: “What did O.J. Simpson do?” “What time is OJ’s parole hearing?” and “What is a parole hearing?” Search interest in O.J. spiked 350 percent this week, and interest in his now-deceased attorney Robert Kardashian—yup that Kardashian, father of Kim, Khloe and Kourtney—went up 200 percent.

Harry goes in a new direction

“Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated movie about the World War II battle in which 300,000 troops were evacuated from a French beach, opened in theaters this week. This month search interest in “Dunkirk evacuation” reached its highest since 2004, and it spiked more than 200 percent this week alone. People are also looking for info on one cast member in particular: One Direction frontman Harry Styles, who makes his acting debut in the movie. Search interest in “Harry Styles Dunkirk” was searched 900 percent more than “Harry Styles songs.”


The High Five: The Seven Kingdoms at war and Floridians band together

This week, we’re eagerly awaiting the return of “Game of Thrones,” where some alliances come together like Floridians at the beach and others break off like the Larsen C ice shelf. Here are five of this week’s top searches, with data from Google News Lab.

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My search has just begun

The Great War is here, and ahead of the “Game of Thrones” season seven premiere, fans are getting ready for the episodes to come (some context: for the weeks leading up to their final seasons, “Game of Thrones” was searched 300% more than “Breaking Bad,” and 1000% more than “Mad Men”). GoT’s most searched creatures are “dragons,” “direwolves” and “three-eyed raven,” and Jon Snow was the most searched character, followed by Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons. And of last night, the internet is fired up about another queen, Mother of Twins.

In queso you hadn’t heard…

Chipotle introduced a new cheese dip this week, making “queso” a more popular search term than other dips, like hummus and guacamole. Cheese lovers turned to Google to scoop up answers to their questions, including “Is Chipotle queso gluten free?” and “Is Chipotle queso good?” For those who prefer homemade queso, the top searched queso recipes this week were white queso, queso fundido, queso fresco and chili con queso.

Humanity at its finest

In Panama City, 80 Florida beachgoers banded together to save a drowning family in a rip current, leading people to search for “human chain Panama city beach.” Search interest in rip currents currents swells every July with related questions like, “what to do in a riptide” and “how to spot a riptide.”

Chilling news

This week a trillion ton iceberg separated from the Larsen C Ice shelf in Antarctica, forming one of the largest icebergs ever recorded. Top searched questions include, “Where will Larsen C go?” and “What will happen when Larsen C raises sea levels?” This great frozen schism caused search interest  in “climate change” to spike by 195 percent, reaching its highest point this month.

Let’s take a selfie

… said a monkey. And now a federal appeals court in California is expected to rule whether that monkey can sue over the rights to its selfie. It’s bananas! Even with all the hype about the selfie-taking monkey this week, “dog selfie” was still a more popular search term than “monkey selfie.”

Source: Search