What’s Trending in Search and What Does It Say About Us?

Lisa Hirst Carnes | December 2023

As we bid adieu to 2023, we’re seeing a glut of lists. Everyone is busy compiling top trends, films, songs, books, and even Google searches. Yes, Google gets in on the action, too. 

Watch Google’s Year in Search below. This one’s special because it shows 25 Years in Search! 25 years of Google! Can you believe it? 

Check out the video for moments that have changed our world and the inspiring people behind them.

Google — 25 Years in Search: The Most Searched

We’re a curious bunch. According to Internet Live Stats, Google processes 99,000 search queries every second. This translates to 8.5 billion daily searches and 2 trillion annual searches. The average person conducts between three and four searches each day. I don’t know about you, but I search A LOT more than that!

Our searches translate into trends that offer insight into something bigger.

Check out Google’s Most Searched Playground to uncover the most-searched people, places, and moments from the past 25 years.

You can tell a lot about our culture from what we search for. We search for understanding, inspiration, learning, and laughing.

Let’s look back and reflect.

In 2020, we wanted answers about the Coronavirus and the Presidential election. Kobe Bryant passed away too young. We were all on Zoom (some of us still are!)

See what was trending in 2020

See what was trending in 2021

In 2021, we chose to escape through sports. Lots of us were searching for where we could get the COVID-19 vaccine. Reddit investors also proved that if they banded together, they could impact the stock market.

See what was trending in 2022

In 2022, many of us jumped on the Wordle bandwagon to escape the war in Ukraine. After ruling longer than any other monarch in history, we saw the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Some of us fantasized about winning the Powerball.

What’s trending in 2023

So far, in 2023, the War in Israel and Gaza is in our collective minds, along with some catastrophic natural disasters.

What do our recent searches tell about us? Even though we live in a complicated world, we still celebrate, play, try to understand, and learn while striving to improve the world. That’s my hope, anyway.

Here’s to a peaceful, happy, joyful 2024!