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Pop Culture

What Google's 2022 'trending topics' tell us about ourselves and what we care about

Google's Year in Search is like a modern-day time capsule.

Google, trends, internet search
Firmbee/Canva

Google's 2022 Year in Search report shows what trended this year.

There's a lot you can tell about a person by their search history (unless they're a murder-mystery writer, in which case no one should jump to conclusions). And our search habits on the whole can tell us a lot about ourselves as a collective as well.

For better or for worse, what we look up on the internet is an indicator of what we care about, and Google's Year in Search report gives us some insight into what we cared about this past year.

There are reports for different countries as well as a global report. Let's start with what my fellow Americans looked up, shall we?

To be clear, these search terms were not the "top searches" or "most searched terms" on Google, but rather the top trending searches—the search terms that had a high spike in traffic over a sustained period of time as compared to the year before.

The top 10 trending searches for 2022 overall:

  1. Wordle
  2. Election results
  3. Betty White
  4. Queen Elizabeth
  5. Bob Saget
  6. Ukraine
  7. Mega Millions
  8. Powerball numbers
  9. Anne Heche
  10. Jeffrey Dahmer
Wow, right? Some of these things don't seem right. I know pandemic time is weird, but Wordle was a 2022 phenomenon? (Am I the only one who would have sworn that happened way earlier in the pandemic? I guess when you play a game every day it makes it seem like a lot more time has passed.) And Betty White? (To be fair, she passed away on the very last day of 2021, so all of the tributes and whatnot happened in 2022.)
Queen Elizabeth, of course. Ukraine, ugh, yes. The fact that Jeffrey Dahmer is on here is both a testament to the power of Netflix and a disturbing insight into people's morbid curiosity.
Anne Heche, tragic. Bob Saget, sad. Election results totally depends on your perspective, but glad to see people caring about the democratic process.
The Year in Search categories are telling as well.

For people, we had:

  1. Johnny Depp
  2. Will Smith
  3. Amber Heard
  4. Antonio Brown
  5. Kari Lake
  6. Anna Sorokin (Delvey)
  7. Chris Rock
  8. Andrew Tate
  9. Adam Levine
  10. Serena Williams

I just don't think there's even a need to comment about most of these. Yikes.

Movies are fun though!

  1. "Encanto"
  2. "Thor: Love and Thunder"
  3. "Top Gun: Maverick"
  4. "The Batman"
  5. "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
  6. "Black Adam"
  7. "Jurassic World Dominion"
  8. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
  9. "Morbius"
  10. "Turning Red"

Aw, remember the "Turning Red" controversies, the "Encanto" obsessions and "Top Gun: Maverick" being surprisingly amazing?

And oof, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." What a beautifully done film.

Musicians and bands is an interesting mix:

  1. Adam Levine
  2. Mary J. Blige
  3. Lil Tjay
  4. Kendrick Lamar
  5. Migos
  6. Tommy Lee
  7. Kate Bush
  8. Ricky Martin
  9. Young Thug
  10. Foo Fighters
Eclectic, no? Some of these I can connect to specific things that happened this year, like Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" going viral from its appearance in "Stranger Things" and Foo Fighters from drummer Taylor Hawkins' death, but some are a mystery to me. Maybe I don't want to know.

Let's move away from entertainment and head to food.

media.giphy.com

Here are the top recipe trends in the U.S. for 2022:

  1. Sugo
  2. Cincinnati chili
  3. Marry me chicken
  4. Quick pancake
  5. Mango pie
  6. Green goddess salad
  7. Jennifer Aniston salad
  8. Grinder sandwich
  9. Bella Hadid sandwich
  10. The Bear spaghetti

Marry me chicken? I might have to Google that myself. (Don't tell anyone, but I'm also going to Google "sugo" because I'm embarrassed to admit I have no idea what that is.)

Speaking of Googling things you don't know—want to see what definition searches trended in 2022?

  1. Rupee
  2. Oligarch
  3. Cacao
  4. Homer
  5. Recession
  6. Canny
  7. Foray
  8. Trove
  9. Saute
  10. Tacit

So curious about what prompted most of these trends.

All of the above can be found on the published Year in Search lists, but Google also sent us some trends that didn't make it into the list, such as:

Is it true that …

  1. Is it true that TikTok is posting drafts?
  2. Is it true that the pinky is the middle finger in China?
  3. Is it true that Putin has cancer?
  4. Is it true that coffee stunts your growth?
  5. Is it true that cats have nine lives?
  6. Is it true that Fortnite is ending?
  7. Is it true that Queen Elizabeth died?
  8. Is it true that Chuck Norris died?
  9. Is it true that if you dream about someone they went to sleep thinking about you?
  10. Is it true that Yahoo is shutting down?

What is …

  1. What is NATO?
  2. What is monkeypox?
  3. What is rsv?
  4. What is Wordle?
  5. What is aphasia?
  6. What is a NFT?
  7. What is a recession?
  8. What is vabbing?
  9. What is Roe v. Wade?
  10. What is the Wordle today?

How to be …

  1. How to be a good mother?
  2. How to be a better lover?
  3. How to be perfect?
  4. How to be an adult in relationships?
  5. How to be a verified fan on Ticketmaster?
  6. How to be a nun in BitLife?
  7. How to be emo?
  8. How to be that girl?
  9. How to be enough for someone?
  10. How to be a fashion designer in BitLife?

OK, wait. I am perpetually online and I have three teen/young adult kids. How have I never heard of BitLife when it's in two of these "How to be" trending searches?

I kind of love "How to be an adult in relationships?" Kudos to those trying.

Interestingly, many of the global trends were similar to the U.S. searches, showing how interconnected we all are. However, the global recipes trends are very different:

1. पनीर पसंदा (paneer pasanda)
2. Bolo caseiro (homemade cake)
3. Tuzlu kurabiye (salt cookie)
4. Overnight oats
5. zimtschnecken (cinnamon rolls)
6. Irmik helvası (semolina halva)
7. панкейки (pancakes)
8. Baba ganoush
9. Bulgur pilavı (bulgur rice)
10. Pasta salad

How fun is that?

It's been quite a year and it's good to take a moment to remember and reflect on all that's happened in 2022. There were a lot of big things—the war in Ukraine, the passing of Queen Elizabeth and Betty White, our collective obsession with Wordle, and more. It's also telling what's not in these trends—notably, most references to the COVID-19 pandemic (which we are still in, despite most people being over it at this point).

Kind of makes you wonder what trending searches 2023 will bring, doesn't it? Let's make "street tacos" and "world peace" happen, please.

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Joy

Sorry, Labradors. After 31 years, America has a new favorite dog.

The American Kennel Club has crowned a new favorite.

via Pixabay

A sad-looking Labrador Retriever

The sweet-faced, loveable Labrador Retriever is no longer America’s favorite dog breed. The breed best known for having a heart of gold has been replaced by the smaller, more urban-friendly French Bulldog.

According to the American Kennel Club, for the past 31 years, the Labrador Retriever was America’s favorite dog, but it was eclipsed in 2022 by the Frenchie. The rankings are based on nearly 716,500 dogs newly registered in 2022, of which about 1 in 7 were Frenchies. Around 108,000 French Bulldogs were recorded in the U.S. in 2022, surpassing Labrador Retrievers by over 21,000.

The French Bulldog’s popularity has grown exponentially over the past decade. They were the #14 most popular breed in 2012, and since then, registrations have gone up 1,000%, bringing them to the top of the breed popularity rankings.

The AKC says that the American Hairless Terrier, Gordon Setter, Italian Greyhound and Anatolian Shepherd Dog also grew in popularity between 2021 and 2022.

The French Bulldog was famous among America’s upper class around the turn of the 20th century but then fell out of favor. Their resurgence is partly based on several celebrities who have gone public with their Frenchie love. Leonardo DiCaprio, Megan Thee Stallion, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Reese Witherspoon and Lady Gaga all own French Bulldogs.

The breed earned a lot of attention as show dogs last year when a Frenchie named Winston took second place at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and first in the National Dog Show.

The breed made national news in early 2021 when Gaga’s dog walker was shot in the chest while walking two of her Frenchies in a dog heist. He recovered from his injuries, and the dogs were later returned.

They’ve also become popular because of their unique look and personalities.

“They’re comical, friendly, loving little dogs,” French Bull Dog Club of America spokesperson Patty Sosa told the AP. She said they are city-friendly with modest grooming needs and “they offer a lot in a small package.”

They are also popular with people who live in apartments. According to the AKC, Frenchies don’t bark much and do not require a lot of outdoor exercise.

The French Bulldog stands out among other breeds because it looks like a miniature bulldog but has large, expressive bat-like ears that are its trademark feature. However, their popularity isn’t without controversy. “French bulldogs can be a polarizing topic,” veterinarian Dr. Carrie Stefaniak told the AP.

american kennel club, french bulldog, most popular dog

An adorable French Bulldog

via Pixabay

French Bulldogs have been bred to have abnormally large heads, which means that large litters usually need to be delivered by C-section, an expensive procedure that can be dangerous for the mother. They are also prone to multiple health problems, including skin, ear, and eye infections. Their flat face means they often suffer from respiratory problems and heat intolerance.

Frenchies are also more prone to spine deformations and nerve pain as they age.

Here are the AKC’s top ten most popular dog breeds for 2022.

1 French Bulldogs

2 Labrador Retrievers

3 Golden Retrievers

4 German Shepherd Dogs

5 Poodles

6 Bulldogs

7 Rottweilers

8 Beagles

9 Dachshunds

10 German Shorthaired Pointers


This article originally appeared on 03.17.23

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Humor

A neighborhood mom thought she caught her teen babysitter smoking and was hilariously wrong.

A neighborhood mom thought she caught her teen babysitter smoking and was hilariously wrong.

via Sarah Holderr / Twitter

Anyone with a Nextdoor account knows that there are some terribly nosy neighbors out there. There are also a lot of folks who love to complain … about everything.

These lookiloos can also be especially suspicious about what the local teenagers are doing.

Sarah Holderr, a teenager from Kansas, babysits for her neighbor Amy.

One day, Sarah received a text from Amy saying that her husband, Randy, caught her smoking while driving her car. First thing is that Randy should have minded his own business.

Secondly, if he has a problem with her smoking, he could have talked to her about it personally. There's no need to narc on her to his wife.

In the text, she refers to a "a cigar of some sort," which seems like she was accusing Sarah of smoking a blunt — a cigar with weed rolled into it. Which kinda makes sense because it's pretty rare to see a teenage girl smoking a cigar.

Even though she was being accused of an illegal act by Amy, Sarah responded with good humor, admitting that, in fact, she was only eating a taquito.

via Sarah Holderr/ Twitter

"I feel bad because in my opinion [my neighbor] is crazy nice and I get where she's coming from," Sarah told BuzzFeed News. "She hasn't responded, I'm assuming out of embarrassment."

Sarah posted the interaction on a since deleted Twitter post where it completely blew up, earning over 280,000 likes. And, of course, the folks on twitter had a lot to say about Amy and her nosy hubby.

This article originally appeared on 7.3.19

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Pop Culture

Lebanese dance troupe wins 'America's Got Talent' with one final incredible performance

The lionesses have proudly walked to victory.

Talent Recap/YouTube

The competition came down to the Mayyas and pole dancer Kristy Sellars.

The fan-favorite all-female dance troupe from Lebanon took home the ultimate prize on a September 2022 episode of “America’s Got Talent,” beating out some incredibly heavy competition this season. With the win came a $1 million cash prize as well as the opportunity to headline a show at Las Vegas' Luxor Hotel and Casino.

From first-round auditions to the riveting live finale, the Mayyas have consistently lived up to their name, which translates to “proud walk of the lioness,” with remarkable skill and fearlessness in each and every performance.

You can take a look at their entire “AGT” journey below, ending with that unforgettable finale. Prepare to be blown away.

The dance crew promised to “hypnotize” during its first-round audition, and did so with flying colors. Having previously won “Arab’s Got Talent” back in 2019, the Mayyas were well prepared to wow the crowd.

Their spellbinding performance granted the Mayyas a golden buzzer from judge Sofia Vergara, who called it the “most beautiful creative dancing” she had ever seen.

They once again left audiences with their jaws on the floor after their semifinal routine, which was even more bold and dramatic. Howie Mandel called it the “best moment in AGT history,” adding that the Mayyas should be “the poster people for female empowerment."

Simon Cowell also predicted that their performance would “change the world.”

Then came the live finale, where the proud lionesses left it all on the stage. The stunning performance had glowing orbs of light, glittery galaxies and a huge white gown made out of large feather fans. In a word, it had everything.

Yeah, it was hauntingly beautiful.

Viewers have been rooting for the Mayyas from the beginning—not only for their ability to create mesmerizing illusions using clever choreography and brilliant prop manipulation, but for their mission to “prove to the world what Arab women can do, the art we can create, the fights we fight.”

As explained by Nadim Cherfan, the team’s choreographer, “Lebanon is not considered a place where you can build a career out of dancing, so it’s really hard, and harder for women.”

This combined with the country’s worsening economic crisis and apparent political corruption made each advancement to the next round mean so much more than getting closer to a coveted title. As Cherfan told People, “It’s about a huge bigger message for our people to make them believe in themselves and to give hope to our country who is going into a dark time."

The Mayyas shared their well-deserved victory with their home country, posting a video to Instagram of the win along with the caption saying “Lebanon, this one’s for you.”

It’s lovely to see incredible talent. It’s even better to hear the incredible stories behind the talent. The Mayyas were dedicated to showing the world what Arab women can do, and they succeeded.


This article originally appeared on 9.16.22

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Fatherhood

The new daddy 'poo timer' is a funny gift idea, but it calls attention to a real issue

"Today I started a new rule. If he is in the bathroom for more than 10 minutes, I flip the wifi off."

via Dude I Want That

There are many, many things that change in a household after children arrive. The number of toys and bright-colored items strewn about the house make it look like a clown moved in.

Parents soon give up any chance of watching a TV show they enjoy until after the children go to bed.

The refrigerator becomes jam-packed with juice boxes, go-gurts, and large frozen bags of chicken nuggets.

There's also a strange disappearing act that happens.

"Mom, where's dad?" the child asks.

"He's in the bathroom," mom replies with a shrug.

Funny, before children, dad used to be in and out of the bathroom in a few minutes. Now, he spends thirty minutes staring at his phone, watching YouTube, and setting his fantasy baseball lineup in his new palace of solace.

While it's always good to get some alone time, it becomes a problem when dad leaves his spouse to handle the child-rearing and chores because he's taking his time on the throne.

In a recent story covered by Upworthy, a mother on Reddit admitted she turns off the wi-fi in the house if her husband takes too long in the restroom.

"Over the past couple months he has been spending more and more time in there," the mother wrote. "He always takes his phone. He is always watching YouTube. His average session is 25 minutes in there, often longer, rarely shorter."

"Today I started a new rule. If he is in the bathroom for more than 10 minutes, I flip the wifi off," she wrote. "He has not spent more than 15 minutes in the bathroom at a stretch today, but is extremely upset."

For those who find that tactic a bit drastic, Katamco has created the Toilet Timer, an hour-glass style timer that can be flipped over when dad enters the bathroom.

"The Toilet Timer is for the poo-crastinator taking their sweet time," reads the product description. "This is a sand timer that runs for about five minutes. Help your loved one get back to the people they are trying to avoid."

While the daddy poo-timer seems like a fun passive-aggressive gag gift, there's a real reason it exists. After having kids, the average dad's time spent on the pot goes up considerably.

A poll of 1,000 British men found that dads spend seven hours a year hiding from their families in the bathroom.

The poll found that 25% of men said if they couldn't escape to the bathroom they "don't know how they'd cope." A third said that a trip to the bathroom is the only time they get to themselves.

Fourteen percent stow away items such as books, magazines, and food for the time they spend in their palace of solitude.

Who the hell eats while sitting on the toilet?

Domestic life can be stressful for both parents. Maybe if these dads need a breather from the trials of domesticity they should just ask their spouses? That seems to be a much more constructive way of handling the stress than hiding out in fear.


This article originally appeared on 3.5.20

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Culture

People shared what it was like encountering insanely rich kids for the first time

"The guy didn’t know how to wash clothes so he kept buying new ones and throwing the old ones out."

via rkoi / Instagram

Most people grow up going to schools where people are of a similar social status. Lower-income people tend to grow up with people in the same situation and affluent people usually grow up around people who are rich, as well.

But things can change dramatically in college. People who are from completely different sides of the socioeconomic spectrum attend class together and sometimes wind up sharing the same dorm room.

One student can be there on a scholarship and have a part-time job to make ends meet. The other may be on a massive allowance from their parents who pay full tuition without batting an eye.

What exacerbates the issue is that many people go through college being dirt poor. If they have a job, it's often low-paying, they can't work many hours and they aren't old enough to have accumulated any wealth.

So seeing someone one of your peers wasting other people's hard-earned money can be downright stupefying.

It can also seem highly immoral for some to have so much and not appreciate it when others are struggling to get by.

College is also a time when people begin to learn about income inequality and why it exists.

Freelance journalist Jake Bittle started a fun conversation on Twitter where people shared stories of some of the insanely rich kids they knew in college. Many of the responses came from people who went to the University of Chicago.

Bittle's story started with seeing a girl open her laptop to revel a ton of money in her bank account while they were taking a class on Marxism. The tweet inspired people to share stories of the insanely rich kids they met in college and how some of them were terribly wasteful with their money.

(Jake has since deleted his original tweet.)

This article originally appeared on 6.12.20

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