· MH370 is the trending search of the year as news of the tragedy devastates the region
· The World Cup is the trending event of the year as Singaporean football fans kept up with the latest goals and scores
· Frozen fever grips the nation as we all sing along to top trending song of the year, “Let It Go”
Today, Google announced its annual Year in Search, a look at 2014 through the collective eyes of the world on the web, offering insights on the year’s major events and the hottest trends based on Google searches conducted in Singapore.
The top trending search item — the mysterious disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight 370 — is the story that hit Singaporeans the hardest this year, with searches for “MH370” five times higher than the top trending local news search, “PSI Singapore”. Other headlines that grabbed attention this year include news of the MH370, the referendum in Scotland, the announcement of the 2014 Budget and the opening of Singapore’s new Sports Hub.
News of the Ebola outbreak in parts of West Africa and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge also got Singaporeans into research mode, with Singaporeans not just looking for the latest news, but digging into the the topics with searches for “What is ALS ” and “What is Ebola” at #1 and #2 on the “What is…” list. Overall however, Singaporeans showed more interest in the latest updates on the West African health crisis, searching for “ALS” nearly twice as much as “Ebola”.
2014 was a big year for Singaporean sports fans as well. Unsurprisingly, in a nation crazy for the beautiful game, “World Cup 2014” spiked in searches. And of all the World Cup match-ups, the semifinal stunner that hosts Brazil played against victors Germany proved most popular, with the final match between Argentina and Germany being the second most popular match. Other sporting events that caught the nation’s eye include the “Asian Games”, “Wimbledon” and “F1 Singapore”.
2014’s worldwide sports craze may well have sparked a fitness craze in Singapore. Many went online to search for marathons to sink their feet into, from the Shape and ST runs to the quirky but equally competitive Hello Kitty and Garfield runs. Some even took to the streets at night to enjoy the party atmosphere of the Illumi Run.
Not that an interest in running would lead the food-loving nation to abandon its love of delicious recipes and treats — searches for “run” came in neck and neck with searches for “recipe”. Truly a city of international flavors, Singaporeans bit into everything, from local favorites like “Sambal Chicken”, “Dumpling Soup” and Walnut Paste” to international fare like “Tiramisu” and “Budae-jjigae”.
Singaporeans also proved equally international in their entertainment choices, veering towards Hollywood hits in their movie choices, but diving into Asian creations on TV with Korea’s “Emergency Couple”, Hong Kong’s ““使徒 行者” (Line Walker) and India’s “Bigg Boss 8” coming in as the top 3 trending TV shows. Not only that, 6 out of the top 10 TV shows this year were Asian, including Malaysia’s hit drama “Rindu Awak 200%” (Miss You 200%).
Movie soundtracks hit a high note as well, with both “Let It Go” from Frozen and “Everything is Awesome” from the Lego Movie breaking into the Trending Songs list for the year. “Let it Go” was searched for 3 times more than the next hit song on the list, “Say Something”.
Not the world’s top smartphone nation for nothing — according to Google’s Consumer Barometer study, Singapore leads the world in smartphone penetration — Singaporeans were captivated by this year’s latest mobile phone releases, from the much anticipated iPhone 6 to the Galaxy S5 and Xiaomi’s Redmi.
“The twin tragedies of MH370 and MH17 hit Singaporeans hard this year. Many went online to search for the latest updates around the news, along with other developing news stories from around the world,” says Google spokesperson Sana Rahman. “On a lighter note, our tastes in food, entertainment and even award shows, show that we’re also a nation that not only knows how to have fun, but won’t let mere distance and borders get our way of doing so!”
| Trending Searches | Trending International News | Trending Singapore News | |
| 1. MH3702. World Cup 20143. iPhone 64. MH175. Robin Williams6. PSI Singapore
7. Interstellar 8. Jennifer Lawrence 9. Xiaomi 10. Anton Casey |
1. MH3702. MH173. ALS4. Ebola5. ISIS6. Ukraine
7. Gaza 8. Scotland 9. South Korea ferry 10. Hong Kong protest |
1. PSI Singapore2. GST voucher 20143. Singapore Budget 20144. NDP 20145. Westgate Mall6. Pioneer Generation Package
7. Singapore Sports Hub 8. Singapore vs Juventus 9. MCE 10. CPF contribution rate
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| Trending People | Trending Sportspersons | Trending Events | |
| 1. Robin Williams2. Jennifer Lawrence3. Anton Casey4. Ladies Code5. Joan Rivers6. Michael Schumacher
7. Kim Soo Hyun 8. Philip Seymour Hoffman 9. Bernice Wong 10. Jover Chew |
1. Michael Schumacher2. Juan Mata3. James Rodríguez4. Ángel Di María5. Ultimate Warrior6. Sabina Altynbekova
7. Radamel Falcao 8. Jules Bianchi 9. Kim Yuna 10. Mario Götze |
1. World Cup2. COMEX3. Asian Games4. IT Show5. Wimbledon6. Oscars
7. PC Show 8. Star Awards 9. Australian Open 10. F1 Singapore |
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| Trending World Cup Matches | Trending Running Events | Trending Recipes | |
| 1. Brazil v Germany2. Germany v Argentina3. Netherlands v Argentina4. Germany v Portugal5. Brazil v Netherlands6. Brazil v Chile
7. Argentina v Belgium 8. Brazil v Colombia 9. France v Germany 10. Argentina v Switzerland |
1. Electric Run2. Hello Kitty Run3. Green Corridor Run4. Garfield Run5. ST Run6. Shape Run
7. Newton Challenge 8. Hong Bao Run 9. Marina Run 10. Illumi Run |
1. Grilled prawns2. Budae-jjigae3. Gyoza4. Chicken sambal5. Spaghetti aglio olio6. Tiramisu
7. Gingerbread man 8. Carbonara 9. Dumpling soup 10. Walnut paste |
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| Trending “What is…” | Trending on Mobile | Trending Gadgets | |
| 1. ALS2. Ebola3. Bitcoin4. ISIS5. Bae6. Asphyxia
7. Hamas 8. OTP 9. Shingles 10. MERS |
1. World Cup 20142. MH3703. iPhone 64. MH175. Robin Williams6. PSI Singapore
7. Interstellar 8. Olympic Charter 9. Brazil v Germany 10. Jennifer Lawrence |
1. iPhone 62. Galaxy Note 43. Galaxy S54. iPhone 6 Plus5. iPad Air 26. G3
7. Nexus 6 8. Apple Watch 9. Redmi 10. Oculus Rift |
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| Trending TV Shows | Trending Movies of 2014 | Trending Songs |
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| 1. Emergency Couple2. 使徒 行者 (Line Walker)3. Bigg Boss 84. Rindu Awak 200% (Miss You 200%)5. Doctor Stranger6. Sherlock
7. Tokyo Ghoul 8. Gotham 9. 叛逃 (Ruse of Engagement) 10. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D |
1. Interstellar2. Divergent3. Godzilla4. Maze Runner5. Gone Girl6. Maleficent
7. Edge of Tomorrow 8. Transformers: Age of Extinction 9. Frozen 10. Dracula Untold |
1. Let It Go (Frozen)2. Say Something (A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera)3. Blank Space (Taylor Swift)4. Counting Stars (OneRepublic)5. Anaconda (Nicki Minaj)6. Rude (Magic)
7. Bang Bang (Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj) 8. Demons (Imagine Dragons) 9. Everything is Awesome (The Lego Movie) 10. Fancy (Iggy Azalea) |
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To see more information about Google’s Year in Search across the globe, use interactive data visualizations and to watch our annual video, visit google.com/2014.
What is Google’s Year in Search?
Google reveals the internet “Year in Search” through an exploration of the over one trillion search queries we receive each year. In addition to the Year in Search, which highlights the top trends of 2014, we also have several tools that give insight into global, regional, past and present search trends. Google Year in Search tools can never be used to identify individual users because we rely on anonymized, aggregated counts of how often certain search queries occur over time. These tools are available year-round for you to play with, explore, and learn from: google.com/trends
About Google Inc.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.