Every day search engines tabulate the top searches to get a line on emerging trends and public interests. With all the earth shattering news we've been subjected to the last 6 months, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at what's on people's minds. So I checked out top 10 search reports for a few days...What did I find? Was it swine flu, Chrysler's demise, the machinations of the banking scandal? Silly me. The H1N1 virus is in the number 74 spot today on Google, far behind more weighty and serious matters like the "Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction," (#3), or beach volleyball, body moisturizer and Star Wars, all appearing in the top 20 for Google. A look at the top 10 each day can be enlightening.
Today, for example, Yahoo's top five searches are music or movie celebrities, many I've never even heard of. These celebrity names always seem to dominate the top five spots on Yahoo's daily list. When you get to the middle spots, people seem to be searching out things associated with some aspect of daily life, like "MP3 Downloads" (#5 yesterday), or "Summer Movies" (#6 today). But further down the list a few terms reveal the more serious problems people are dealing with. Yesterday "Auto Warranty" was #7, "Bankruptcy" was in the #8 spot, and "Flight Attendant Jobs" was #10. People were worrying about that old used car, wondering how they can get out of debt and looking for jobs. On May 4th Apartment Locators, Storage Sheds and Radar Detectors slipped into those spots in the 6 to 10 range. People are on the move, perhaps leaving a foreclosed home to look for an apartment, or just heading out of town at 100mph to escape the bill collectors...How else to explain the sudden interest in radar detectors?
Annual statistics are equally revealing. Last year, as the stock market and economy collapsed, financial firms pancaking down on one another like floors of the World Trade Center, what was on America's mind? Answer: Brittney Spears. She held down the #1 spot for the hottest search item of 2008 on Yahoo. (Google had Obama #1, but he was only #3 on Yahoo, behind Spears and the WWE Wrestling league which came in at #2). The rest of Yahoo's top 10 list had celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, Hannah Montana and, of course, American Idol. For Google we saw digital wonders like Facebook, AT&T, iPhone, and YouTube in the top five spots for tech searches. None of the stories that shook our world made the ranks. What does this say about us?
I realize that the Internet is broadly used by lots of kids who aren't likely to pay much attention to hard news, but then again, they all go to school don't they? Did our teachers talk to them about what was going on? It was nonetheless mind boggling to me to think that whole generations of Americans remain fascinated by utterly trivial personalities and pop nonsense while some of the most significant stories and occurrences in the last century have crossed news wires in the last 6 months. Were they all really aware of the bad news and just seeking refuge with Brittney Spears? I don't think so. And were people looking for solutions to the problems we face now in energy, finance, the economy, restructuring and downscaling our lives to a sustainable level? Nope. The top searches in the "How to" category on Google were how to draw, kiss, write, cook and hack. How to spell was also in the top ten. It appears we are a nation of would be artists, lovers, writers, gourmet chefs and cyber criminals, some worthy occupations to be sure, but I was surprised no one wanted to learn about debt management, saving, budgeting, home food gardening, alternative energy, or recycling.
The bottom line? Americans are more interested in breakfast recipes and fitness equipment than our skyrocketing unemployment, the astounding malfeasance in the banking industry, or anything remotely concerned with our future energy prospects or living arrangements. The Great Recession is being suffered quietly, as in that search for "bankruptcy" that made #8 on Yahoo yesterday. But Americans continue to remain largely clueless, uninformed and obsessed by trivialities. They continue to distract themselves with media and entertainment--this while we are now facing the most serious dislocation of our lives in this nation.
It's just mind boggling.
Today, for example, Yahoo's top five searches are music or movie celebrities, many I've never even heard of. These celebrity names always seem to dominate the top five spots on Yahoo's daily list. When you get to the middle spots, people seem to be searching out things associated with some aspect of daily life, like "MP3 Downloads" (#5 yesterday), or "Summer Movies" (#6 today). But further down the list a few terms reveal the more serious problems people are dealing with. Yesterday "Auto Warranty" was #7, "Bankruptcy" was in the #8 spot, and "Flight Attendant Jobs" was #10. People were worrying about that old used car, wondering how they can get out of debt and looking for jobs. On May 4th Apartment Locators, Storage Sheds and Radar Detectors slipped into those spots in the 6 to 10 range. People are on the move, perhaps leaving a foreclosed home to look for an apartment, or just heading out of town at 100mph to escape the bill collectors...How else to explain the sudden interest in radar detectors?
Annual statistics are equally revealing. Last year, as the stock market and economy collapsed, financial firms pancaking down on one another like floors of the World Trade Center, what was on America's mind? Answer: Brittney Spears. She held down the #1 spot for the hottest search item of 2008 on Yahoo. (Google had Obama #1, but he was only #3 on Yahoo, behind Spears and the WWE Wrestling league which came in at #2). The rest of Yahoo's top 10 list had celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, Hannah Montana and, of course, American Idol. For Google we saw digital wonders like Facebook, AT&T, iPhone, and YouTube in the top five spots for tech searches. None of the stories that shook our world made the ranks. What does this say about us?
I realize that the Internet is broadly used by lots of kids who aren't likely to pay much attention to hard news, but then again, they all go to school don't they? Did our teachers talk to them about what was going on? It was nonetheless mind boggling to me to think that whole generations of Americans remain fascinated by utterly trivial personalities and pop nonsense while some of the most significant stories and occurrences in the last century have crossed news wires in the last 6 months. Were they all really aware of the bad news and just seeking refuge with Brittney Spears? I don't think so. And were people looking for solutions to the problems we face now in energy, finance, the economy, restructuring and downscaling our lives to a sustainable level? Nope. The top searches in the "How to" category on Google were how to draw, kiss, write, cook and hack. How to spell was also in the top ten. It appears we are a nation of would be artists, lovers, writers, gourmet chefs and cyber criminals, some worthy occupations to be sure, but I was surprised no one wanted to learn about debt management, saving, budgeting, home food gardening, alternative energy, or recycling.
The bottom line? Americans are more interested in breakfast recipes and fitness equipment than our skyrocketing unemployment, the astounding malfeasance in the banking industry, or anything remotely concerned with our future energy prospects or living arrangements. The Great Recession is being suffered quietly, as in that search for "bankruptcy" that made #8 on Yahoo yesterday. But Americans continue to remain largely clueless, uninformed and obsessed by trivialities. They continue to distract themselves with media and entertainment--this while we are now facing the most serious dislocation of our lives in this nation.
It's just mind boggling.
