Summary
● What were
the trending searches of the year, who was the most-searched celebrity of the
last 12 months, and which new technology topped the charts?
● IEBC, Euro
2012 and Whitney Houston search queries top the 2012 trending list
● Spanish
telenovelas, BBA Stargame, and Shuga TV shows generate most online queries
online YouTube channel KulaHappy also popular with Kenyans.
Today, Google announced its annual
Zeitgeist, a look at
2012 through the collective eyes of the world on the web, offering a unique perspective
on the year's major events and hottest trends based on Google searches
conducted in Kenya.
The results gave an interesting perspective on what the
trending searches were, who the most-searched personalities were, as well as
which new technologies captured Kenya's imagination.
Leading the list for overall trending Kenyan searches in
2012 was the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, as the
country prepares itself for the first General Election under its new Constitution next March.
Wrapping up the top five list were the social media site Facebook, the late
American singing legend Whitney Houston who died in February, mobile video
search engine Tubidy and Euro 2012.
Kenyans also went online to find get more information
about famous personalities making the news, with politicians dominating the
most searched for local personalities. They included the late veteran
politicians Njenga Karume, George Saitoti and John Michuki who created legacies
through their public service, Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s former adviser
Miguna Miguna, aspiring presidential candidate Peter Kenneth. Renowned media
personality Louis Otieno as well as musician Prezzo who participated in the BBA
Stargame were also among the local personalities most searched for on Google,
with Olympics star David Rudisha and former Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza
rounding off the list.
When it came to the arts, Kenya’s online trends revealed
that art transcends boundaries. Whitney Houston topped the list, with James
Ingram, Eddie Murphy, Bobby Brown, Psy of the Gangnam style hit, Michael Clarke Duncan, Bobbi
Kristina, and Morgan Freeman featuring as top trending artistes. Local artistes,
Prezzo and Camp Mulla also made it to the list of top
searched artists.
Sporting personalities also generated a lot of Google
searches, with the popular English Premier League and the Olympics driving a lot of
this interest. The top 10 sports personalities included Robin van Persie,
David Rudisha, Mario Balotelli, Victor Wanyama, Ronaldinho, Conjestina Achieng,
Michael Phelps, Ezekiel Kemboi, Podolski, and Lance Armstrong.
The “What is” query was dominated by ethnicity and
illnesses such as cancer, ebola, HIV and Aids, typhoid, malaria, and stress. The
Kenyans love for Spanish telenovelas was revealed in the entertainment searches
with Eva Luna, Triumph of Love leading while BBA Stargame, Shuga and KulaHappy
gained more popularity in Kenya.
The global Google
Zeitgeist website was launched on Wednesday, and will host all 838 top-ten lists from 55 countries.
Visitors will be able to compare terms through interactive data visualisation,
check out global search trends, and watch the annual Zeitgeist video.
Kenya’s trending searches:
