Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and the iPhone 5 were two of the most searched names by Canadians this year, according to an annual review released Monday by Yahoo! Canada.
In its 8th annual Year in Review, the search engine revealed the stories, events, and individuals that captured the nation’s attention in 2012.
“Yahoo! Canada’s Year in Review 2012 reflects the daily search habits of users and highlights the top stories and trends based on what millions of people worldwide searched for,” says Justine Melman at Yahoo! Canada.
“It is a distinct way to portray a society in motion through online behaviour.”
“Twilight” series stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, the book “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and the Higgs Boson particle (aka the God particle) also made it onto the top five most-searched list.
Some of the most popular news stories of the year include Facebook’s disastrous stock market launch, the XL Foods beef recall (the largest in Canadian history), and last month’s U.S. federal election.
In Canadian politics, the Alberta provincial election, the student strike in Quebec, and the Robocall scandal were some of the most-watched issues followed by Canadians.
Many of the year’s top newsmakers were linked to tragedy and scandal, but also inspiration.
Accused murderer Luka Magnotta, journalist Paula Todd, 17-year-old shooting victim Travyon Martin, Alberta’s first female premier Alison Redford, and record-breaking Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner were among the top ten most followed newsmakers.
This year also saw the loss of many celebrities and cultural icons. Some of the most searched names in Yahoo’s “in memoriam” section were singer Whitney Houston, Bee Gees singer and co-founder Robin Gibb, radio and TV personality Dick Clark, astronaut Neil Armstrong, and iconic Alberta politician Peter Lougheed.
As in other years, interest in celebrities and newcomers to the Hollywood scene remained hugely popular, with everything from Kim Kardashian and Paulina Gretzky to Psy and his horse-trotting Gangnam Style topping searches.
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