Twitter Tops Michael Jackson, Google Zeitgeist 2009

Microsoft did it, Yahoo did it and now Google did it as well, though with a slight twist. Bing gave us the top searches of 2009, Yahoo came out with a similar top, but Google is now releasing the top fastest rising searches of the year which doesn't necessarily mean they were the most popular terms by volume. And if Yahoo's top was significantly different from Bing's, Google is a bit closer to Microsoft's with several similar entries.

Hardly unexpected, Michael Jackson rules this top as well, but the queries following are, surprisingly or not, some of the hot social media services of the year, Facebook and Twitter which came in at number two and number four respectively in the global searches top. Twilight couldn't be missing, of course, and 'new moon' lands at number six.

The fastest rising searches on Google globally 1. michael jackson 2. facebook 3. tuenti 4. twitter 5. sanalika 6. new moon 7. lady gaga 8. windows 7 9. dantri.com.vn 10. torpedo gratis

-

The fastest rising searches on Google.com 1. twitter 2. michael jackson 3. facebook 4. hulu 5. hi5 6. glee 7. paranormal activity 8. natasha richardson 9. farrah fawcett 10. lady gaga

Interestingly, Windows 7 comes in at number eight despite not making the top on either Bing or Yahoo, proving that the new operating system definitely got people interested. Lady Gaga is the only other search term that most people will recognize among things like sanalika and dantri.com.vn. Of course, you can always google it to find out what it means.

In the US, things follow a similar trend but, and this will make a lot of Twitter evangelists giddy, the microblogging platform takes the number one spot, overtaking even Michael Jackson, as the fastest growing search term of 2009. Facebook comes in at number three followed by Hulu and Hi5 showing that social networking and online video were very hot this year.

Google wasn't satisfied with just releasing a couple of tops and calling it a day so it set up an entire site dedicated to the year in search. “It's because of curious searchers like you and the billions of searches you do throughout the year, that our annual Zeitgeist has become an insightful look into a global mindset. So please check out our Zeitgeist site, which showcases many of these interesting trends across various categories and countries, and more about how we create the lists,” Marissa Mayer, VP of Search Products and User Experience, writes on the official blog.