Nothing about 2008 was predictable, but there were some definite themes in the way Americans used the Internet search engine Google during the last 12 months.
Not surprisingly, “obama” (for none other than the president-elect himself), was the number one, fastest-rising search term last year, according to Google. His Republican counterpart, McCain, didn’t make the top 10, but the champion of Joe Six Pack, Sarah Palin, did. She nabbed the number 7 spot.
Google compiles its annual “zeitgeist” lists by culliing data from the millions of search terms people plug into its search bar throughout the year. For its fastest rising lists, Google compares search activity from one year to the year prior to see what’s gaining favor with Internet users.
The remainder of the top 10 in 2008 was decidedly apolitical with a digital bent. The social networking site Facebook secured the second spot on the fastest rising list, followed by “att”, “iphone”, and “youtube”. Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News came in sixth, while the Beijing Olympics came in eigth. The top 10 was rounded out by American Idol winner David Cook and Surf the Channel, a newer web site that catalogues online videos, including TV programs.
Google.com Fastest Rising Search Terms of 2008
1.    obama
2.    facebook
3.    att
4.    iphone
5.    youtube
6.    fox news
7.    palin
8.    beijing 2008
9.    david cook
10. surf the channel
