We’ve taken a look at what our Google searches say about us a few times in the past — but little did we know how clear a snapshot our search histories give us of our amazingly diverse set of interests. Using Google Trends, real estate blog Estately recently compiled lists of the search terms each state Googled more than any other state in 2014; the results are hilarious, but interestingly, they also offer quite a few insights into our current climate. Come, my friends. Step inside. See the mysteries of our strangest browsing habits revealed.
It’s worth noting that the lists don’t chronicle the top search terms for each state — but they do show us what captured the attention of each state more than any other. Additionally, they function like yet another “year in review” post of the sort we’ve seen emerge throughout the month of December — and indeed, they might even be the most accurate one. With topics ranging from the serious (Maya Angelou, international conflict, ebola) to the trivial (Flappy Bird cheats, Maroon 5, Dancing with the Stars), they show us both the good and the bad, but without attempting to manipulate our emotions as they do so.
I’ve divided a few of the highlights into a couple of different categories below; head on over to Estately for the full report, including a handy-dandy map with some of the top terms laid out over each state. What was your home base most interested in this year?
Entertainment and Pop Culture:
North Dakota was super into Jay Leno this year; Indiana wanted to know about Shirley Temple; Michigan and Pennsylvania apparently fell for the Macaulay Culkin death hoax; and Maine got their yuks from Between Two Ferns. Kim Kardashian’s butt may not have broken the Internet, but it did break Oklahoma. Oh, and Pharrell’s hat was big in Maryland.
News:
Utah looked up same sex marriage; Washington dug into Gamergate and minimum wage; New York wanted to know about Gaza and Israel; Connecticut Googled Malala Yousafzai; and Alaska and Wyoming both did a lot of searching about Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Ebola was also big: Oklahoma was curious about the symptoms, while Texas was interested in conspiracies.
Feminism and Gender Equality:
Vermont spent a lot of time Googling the word “feminism” itself; other relevant searches include “Emma Watson UN speech” (Massachusetts), Anita Sarkeesian (Utah), and rape culture (Washington).
“What Is…?”:
The things people sought definitions for cover such a wide range of topics I almost don’t know what to do with it all. Wisconsin wanted to know what Tinder was, while Tennessee was curious about I.S.I.S (presumably Tennessee’s Googling cleared up that I.S.I.S. isn’t so much a “who” as a “what”). Nevada tried to figure out what Bitcoin is, Kentucky wanted to know what ALS stands for, North Carolina dove into transgender and LGBT issues, and California finally defined BB cream for themselves. My favorite, though, comes from New York: “What is a selfie?”
Zombies:
New Mexico and Texas both had zombies (including “are zombies real?”) as some of their top search terms for 2014. I guess I know where to go for the best chance of survival in the event of the zombie apocalypse now.
Images: Giphy (5)
