Life

Here Are The Top Google Searches Of 2016

by Kiersten Hickman
typing, manicure
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Google is such a wonderful tool. Not only can it answer all of your burning questions, or help find recipes in an instant, but, with a quick end-of-the-year review, Google can show us what people cared about throughout 2016 based on searches. So, what were the top Google searches of 2016?

Thanks to a list provided by Google, I had the chance to sift through the list of top searches myself. I couldn’t help but laugh at some, nod at some, and squint my eyes at others. A lot of searches kind of confused me, but, in the end, a lot of the searches made me flat out laugh. Like, people really wanted to know if Goofy was a dog in 2016, apparently. That's hilarious.

The most fascinating thing about this list, though, is noticing what actually was trending throughout 2016. Sure, it’s easy for media outlets to reveal what is trending based on the news and other events, but it never truly reveals what people are thinking, feeling, and dying to know. You could even boil it down to this: Google searches are the true way to understand the public’s heart. Here's just a few of the top searches that either made sense, or made absolutely no sense.

Powerball

OK, I know the lottery is such a big deal, but how in the world was Powerball the top search this year? There have been some major lotteries available over the past few years, but it’s surprising to see that, with all that that happened in 2016, Powerball took the search-engine trophy.

Snow Cream

Green Bean Casserole makes sense as the top recipe search since it’s an iconic holiday dish, but what in the world is Snow Cream? After a quick search myself, I found that it’s a dessert made from snow. I'm not kidding! Just go grab some snow, add sweet condensed milk and vanilla, and you have snow cream. Is it a better alternative to ice cream? No idea… but the idea of grabbing snow on the ground to consume as a dessert is rather frightening to me.

Taco Diet

Over the years, there have certainly been some crazy diet fads over the year, but none as intriguing as the Taco Diet. I'm not kidding — it’s a diet that strictly has you eating only tacos. I don't know about you, but I'm into it.

Sangria

Looks like everyone was craving sangria this summer, more than rosé!

PokemonGO

Even though Powerball was the top search of 2016, a quick look at all of the top search lists revealed by Google reveals that PokemonGO was the actual Google search winner. It was the number four top search this year, along with top questions searches including “how to play Pokémon Go,” “how to battle in Pokémon Go,” “how to catch in Pokémon Go,” and “what is Pokémon Go?” People just had to catch ‘em all.

Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, And Simone Biles

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Not only were these the top three searched athletes during the Olympics, but also the top three athletes searched all year. We have some incredibly talented and hard working athletes in our country, and this is only a small glimpse of proof.

Tom Hiddleston

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Remember “Hiddleswift”? Yup, Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift were kind of a thing in 2016. Sure it’s not known the exact reason to why people were searching him (because it technically could have been about his new show The Night Manager), but let’s be honest, it was probably everyone not knowing who Taylor Swift was dating and needing to do a quick background check.

Olympics

That's right, the top news search went to the Olympics, and not the presidential election — that came in second place. When you think about it, this makes sense: The Olympics are a worldwide event, which meant more people on Google around the world were searching it. Other important news that followed include the Brexit and the Zika virus.

The Chicago Cubs

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Seriously, this one's a no-brainer. The Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years, and the internet blew up. It just makes sense that they would get the top sport team search spot.

Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump

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It was the presidential election from hell. Need I say more?

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