2012 Most Popular Searches

Most Searched of 2012

1. London Olympics

The XXX Olympiad was the dominating search of 2012. A vast array of search terms on all manner of aspects of the Olympics Games secured it the top position, with athlete and medal count searches proving to be hugely popular.

2. Kim Kardashian

Reality star Kim Kardashian is a perennially searched for celebrity, with her rumoured engagement to rapper Kanye West (and their leaked alleged sex tape, claimed to actually be a lookalike of Kim) only fuelling the fire of interest.

3. Apple

The latest releases from Apple are always of interest, with the iPhone 5 a solid trend during 2012, but it was the strong performance of their stock price earlier in the year coupled with the failure of their iOS map product which truly brought the technology company into focus.

4. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson

The Twilight couple went from power couple to hot gossip after Kristen was photographed engaged in tête-à-tête with married Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders.

5. Earthquakes
Whilst nothing in 2012 could compare to the disasters in Japan and New Zealand in 2011, earthquakes proved to be of interest again this year; Indonesia took honours for the largest magnitude, having been struck by two quakes on April 11th over magnitude eight, but it was the deadly quake in Iran’s Azerbaijan province that gathered the most searches from internet users.

6. US Presidential Election

The build up towards and culmination of the US Presidential Election was a global phenomenon, the intense interest to our users a testament to the wide reaching influence of US politics on the world stage. Searches for both Obama and Romney spiked hugely throughout the election period.

7. Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy was nevertheless swift to take its place on the list of top searches for 2012, with the devastation that was done to the east coast of the USA proving to be of heavy scrutiny.

8. Israel and Palestine

Another late addition, the escalation of conflict between Israel and Palestine has swiftly risen to feature as an important event of 2012. While the outcome of the conflict cannot be predicted this early into its development, it seems sadly unlikely to cease in the near future.

9. Brownlow Medal

The award for the 'best and fairest' player in the Australian Football League, the focus in 2012 was as much on the red carpet as it was on the medal itself, with the pre-event gala proving an exceptionally popular search term – more so than the winner himself, Jobe Watson of Essendon!

10. End of the World

A somewhat fitting end to the searches for 2012, the mistaken belief that the Mayans predicted the end of the world for December 21st 2012 has been a frequent search throughout the year, increasing in leaps and bounds as we approach the dreaded date.

 

Most Searched Of 2012, Month By Month

January

The standout search in January of 2012 was the Australian Open. Players Bernard Tomic, Ana Ivanović and Lleyton Hewitt were of special focus through the event.

February

With 2012 being a leap year, we saw an extra day sneak into February. Whilst the Grammy awards made a valiant effort for top position, it was ultimately the passing of Whitney Houston that captured the public interest.

March

A good lemon tart – the runner up for March – might seem hard to beat, but it was the Queensland election that took the honours for the month, with the candidates, results and coverage the primary focus.

April

April saw the disappearance of Madeleine McCann once again thrust into the spotlight, after a Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector stated that they believed Madeleine to be alive. The Portuguese police, however, closed the case in 2008, and have not re-opened it since.

May

John Travolta topped the list for May, after allegations were made that he had battered and sexually assaulted a masseur, a second similar claim following shortly after. Both lawsuits were eventually dropped, and in the end the actor maintained top position dominance over the federal budget.

June
A second month of tennis domination for 2012, with the annual Wimbledon tournament solidly securing top slot for June, once again buoyed by the variety of searches that fall under its umbrella, especially people looking for Williams sisters.
 
July

Beliebe it or not (apologies, that’s a terrible pun), Justin Bieber claimed victory for July, the result largely driven by his visit to Australia, especially after the teen vocalist was ambushed by a fan during the taping of an episode of Channel 7’s ‘Australia’s Got Talent’.

August

It’s not at all a surprise that the London Olympics dominated the search results for August, the opening and closing ceremonies the singular most popular pars of the overall event, with the medial tally and individual sport searches close behind. Most heartening, the Paralympics took second position to the Olympics, refreshing to see for an event that traditionally receives less focus than its sibling event.

September

September is the month of football finals, with a hair’s breadth between the AFL and NRL finals ranking ultimately giving tghe AFL grand final victory, slipping it into top position.

October

'Misogynist' and the Prime Minister Julia Gillard won out for October’s most searched, her strident speech in parliament capturing the attention of the global media. Hurricane Sandy was a close second, only so because it’s search spike continued into the early parts of November, spreading wider its influence.

November/December

The solar eclipse and December 21st end of the world are both strong performers, but it was the Melbourne Cup which took victory by a nose for November; the event, the odds and the winners all being the strongest searches that contributed to its win.

 

Most Searched Female Celebrities of 2012

1. Kim Kardashian
2. Scarlett Johansson
3. Lindsay Lohan
4. Kristen Stewart
5. Whitney Houston
6. Megan Fox
7. Sofia Vergara
8. Delta Goodrem
9. Katie Holmes

10. Marilyn Monroe

Most Searched Male Celebrities of 2012

1. Brad Pitt
2. John Travolta
3. Ashton Kutcher
4. Robert Pattinson
5. Johnny Depp
6. Leonardo DiCaprio
7. Ryan Gosling
8. Talyor Lautner
9. Charlie Sheen

10. Zac Efron

Most Searched Athletes of 2012

1. Leisel Jones
2. Maria Sharapova
3. Serena Wiliams
4. David Beckham
5. Roger Federer
6. Andy Murray
7. Tiger Woods
8. Rafael Nadal
9. Jeremy Lin

10. Ian Thorpe

 
Most Searched Countries of 2012

Excludes Australia, which was otherwise the top result

1. Iran
2. China
3. Thailand
4. India
5. Philippines
6. New Zealand
7. Japan
8. Vietnam
9. Sri Lanka

10. Afghanistan

Most Searched Cities of 2012

1. Melbourne
2. New York
3. Dubai
4. London
5. Paris
6. Las Vegas
7. Bangkok
8. Liverpool
9. Vancouver

10. Rome

Most Searched Movies of 2012

1. The Avengers
2. The Hunger Games
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2
4. The Dark Knight Rises
5. Prometheus
6. The Hobbit
7. Skyfall
8. The Amazing Spider-Man
9. The Dictator
10. The Bourne Legacy