Google’s Top Trends In 2015: Lamar Odom, Blockbuster Films & What Is Charlie Charlie?
Google's top trends show what piqued our interest most: from athletes and celebrities to the most-asked "how to" and "what is" questions.
In 2015, people’s search interests on Google were far-reaching, spreading from sports stars like Lamar Odom and Ronda Rousey to this year’s blockbuster film, “Jurassic Park,” and last year’s Oscar winner, “American Sniper.”
Many searchers wanted to know how to use the new Snapchat update, while others were asking Google, “What is Charlie Charlie?”
Google released more than 40 categories for its year-end lists, ranging from the top trending searches to the top trending people, “How-to” searches and travel questions.
“We define the trending queries as the searches that had the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2015 as compared to 2014,” says a Google spokesperson. Google says tracking trends for the year, versus its top searches, is a better way to determine the topics and people that grew in popularity compared to last year.
For Google’s top trending searches of the year, Lamar Odom, “Jurassic World,” “American Sniper,” Caitlyn Jenner and Ronda Rousey led the list.
While Lamar Odom topped the list, Google’s top trending searches highlight an interest in movies this year, with “Jurassic World,” “American Sniper” and “Straight Outta Compton” all making the top 10. (But, oddly, even with all the movie buzz, “Star Wars” didn’t rank.)
Paris was No. 6, and two video games — Agario and Fallout 4 — ranked, as well.
Top Trending Searches
- Lamar Odom
- Jurassic World
- American Sniper
- Caitlyn Jenner
- Ronda Rousey
- Paris
- Agario
- Chris Kyle
- Fallout 4
- Straight Outta Compton
Odom, Jenner and Rousey also topped the list for Google’s top trending people of 2015. Beyond athletes, Google’s top trending people included Hollywood celebrities, people in the news and one musician, Adele.
Top Trending People
- Lamar Odom
- Caitlyn Jenner
- Ronda Rousey
- Donald Trump
- Ruby Rose
- Charlie Sheen
- Brian Williams
- Rachel Dolezal
- Adele
- Josh Duggar
What were we most confused about this year? According to Google, in 2015 more people asked “How to use the new Snapchat upate?” more than any other “how to” question.
Tech-related “how to” questions dominated the list, with “How to upgrade to Windows 10,” “How to get the new emojis,” “How to authorize a computer on iTunes” and “How to use Apple Pay” all ranking in the top 10.
Top Trending “How To” Searches
- How to use the new Snapchat update
- How to solve a rubix cube
- How to get legendary marks
- How to play Charlie Charlie
- How to upgrade to Windows 10
- How to get the new emojis
- How to authorize a computer on iTunes
- How to hit the quan
- How to lose 10 pounds in a week
- How to use Apple Pay
The Charlie Charlie Challenge surged in popularity this year, making both the “How to” top trends list and “What is…” top trends list. While I had never heard of the yes-no question game until writing this report, my 11-year old daughter was able to explain it to me.
Other “What is…” top trending searches showed we were not only curious about the games our middle-schoolers are playing, but also about the hacked website built for adulterers, Ashley Madison, ebola and ISIS.
Top Trending “What is…” Searches
- What is 0 divided by 0?
- What is Ashley Madison?
- What is a buckeye?
- What is the Charlie Charlie Challenge?
- What is a lunar eclipse?
- What is ebola?
- What is ISIS?
- What is red nose day?
- What is a blue moon?
- What is listeria?
Travelers were all over the place this year, from Cancun to Disneyland, St. Louis, Alburquerque and Yellowstone National Park.
It also appears many were headed to Chicago but didn’t know it. “What airport is ORD?” ranked No. 3 for the top trending travel questions. (ORD is the airport code for Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.)
Top Trending Travel Questions
- What to pack for Cancun?
- Where is Disneyland?
- What airport is ORD?
- When is whale watching season in San Diego?
- What is a boutique hotel?
- What to do in St. Louis?
- What to do in Missoula, MT?
- What to do in Louisiana?
- What to do in Albuquerque?
- Where is Yellowstone National Park?
To celebrate its 2015 Year in Review, Google created the following video:
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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