Still image from Korean drama Descendants of the Sun.
Google is a multi-billion dollar company because it knows what we desire. So when it releases its yearly data on popular search queries in a given year, some powerful trends emerge.
For example – humans everywhere love games and entertainment. Who could have guessed?
It gets more interesting when you look at the details.
Pokemon unites the world
Data released by Google to media today shows “Pokemon Go” leads global search trends this year.
Then there’s “iPhone7,” “Donald Trump,” “Prince,” and “Powerball.” Powerball is a lottery popular in English-speaking countries.
Pokemon Go was also a craze across our region.
The game topped the trending search queries lists in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, and Taiwan and made it to the lists in India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, according to Google. Only South Korea didn’t have Pokemon in its top results.
Those 11 countries were the ones included in Google’s report. The search company compiled a top 10 list of 2016’s most popular searches for each.
Photo credit: Nabeel H.
Surge of interest in sports events
Compared to the rest of the world, most Asian countries saw a huge uptick in interest in sports events.
“2016 Olympics” rose to the top 10 of popular search terms in almost all of the Asian countries surveyed by Google. Football tournaments like “Euro 2016” were also trendy this year, topping the lists in Malaysia and Singapore.
Korean drama is infectious
Korean movies and TV series continue to be a hit in Asian countries, far beyond Korean borders.
Korean drama vs Trump, 1:0
Stay updated on the go with our mobile app.
Get latest insights with smoother, more personalized experience through TIA mobile app.
