Each year, in December, Google releases its top Year in Search to give people a glimpse of what they most searched for throughout the year.
With the new year just around the corner, Google has now published its 2017 Year in Search and it offers valuable insights of the things that caught users' attention most in 2017. Whether it's natural disasters, celebrity deaths, sports events, consumer tech, people, or other things, people searched a lot and the trends speak for themselves. It was a tough year in many aspects, and the searches reflect it accordingly.
Google Year In Search 2017
Hurricane Irma took the top spot in 2017 Google searches both in the United States and worldwide. The iPhone 8 and iPhone X took the second and third spots, respectively, in the United States. Worldwide, the second and third spots were for Bitcoin and the Las Vegas shooting. North Korea was on the fourth spot, while the solar eclipse rounded up the top 5 global searches. Google news trends in the United States focused on natural disasters including hurricanes Harvey, Jose, and Maria.
In the consumer tech category, the top 5 most searched for are as follows: the iPhone 8, iPhone X, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Galaxy S8, and Xbox One X. In the "How to" category, the top search was for "how to make slime," followed by "how to make solar eclipse glasses," "how to buy Bitcoin," "how to watch Mayweather vs McGregor," and "how to make a fidget spinner."
In terms of TV shows, the most searched for, in order, were Stranger Things, 13 Reasons Why, Big Brother Brasil, Game of Thrones, and Iron Fist. These are just a few examples, but Google's Year in Search list is far ampler.
How To Help, More Than Ever
More endearing, however, is the fact that people conducted a lot of searches on how to help in various situations. Google lists searches such as "how to calm a dog during a storm," "how to help flood victims," "how to help refugees," "how to help Puerto Rico," "how to help Mexico," "how to help Las Vegas," and many more. It shows that people were moved by the tragedies that occurred this year and wanted to help those affected. More than ever, people asked how to help and sought to do what they could.
The various natural disasters also inspired many users to search for how to become paramedics, firefighters, police officers, activists, or social workers, so they could be more involved with their local communities.
"In these moments and others, our collective humanity shined as we asked 'how to help' more than ever before," Google notes. To get a better idea of Google's 2017 Year in Search, check out the video below.
