A brand new Prime Minister, the Blue Jays epic playoff run, the introduction of Caitlyn Jenner and turmoil in Europe. Our 15th annual Year in Search showcases the Canadians, newsmakers and defining moments that captured our attention this year, as fans, as engaged voters and as global citizens.
Here’s a look back at 2015, through the lens of Google search.
The Year in Search is Google’s annual analysis of trillions of searches performed globally throughout the year. The results include everything from top trending Canadians, sports, music, politics, news, and more.
Top Trending Canadian Searches of 2015:
-
Blue Jays
-
Justin Trudeau
-
Federal Election
-
Pan Am Games
-
Paris Shooting
-
Agario
-
Chris Hyndman
-
Charlie Hebdo
-
Lamar Odom
-
Caitlyn Jenner
Fandemonium
It’s no surprise that the Toronto Blue Jays landed the top spot in 2015’s Year in Search rankings, dominating Canadian search queries like they did the AL East this past season. From bat flips to “walk the parrot”, the playoff run of 2015 gave us endless opportunities to #comeTOgether. Stricken with baseball fever, Canadians took to Google to find out how they could catch the boys in blue, with questions such as ‘What is the score of the Blue Jays game?’ and ‘How to watch Blue Jays online’ also topping the charts as Canadians celebrated the Blue Jays first playoff berth since 1993.
#Elxn42
Canada’s election dominated news searches this year, with Federal Election, Justin Trudeau and “How to vote” landing in top positions. Our new PM knocked Stephen Harper off the #1 spot of most-searched politicians, and the list of the Top Trending Canadians included not one, not two, but three Trudeaus: Justin, Pierre and Margaret. For the second year in a row, “How to vote” ranked as the top trending ‘How to’ search in Canada. #elxn42 had the highest voter turnout since 1993, and with such a large and growing number of voters relying on the Internet for their election-related information, the web has become a vital tool for engaging and informing Canada’s electorate.
Global Citizens
The horrific attacks in Paris on November 13th generated significant search interest for “Paris shooting” as Canadians sought details and deeper understanding of what had happened in the French capital.
Paris was also the site of the targeted attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo earlier in the year. Charlie Hebdo was was a top-trending topic in 2015, and had Canadians asking “What is Je Suis Charlie?” as the popular hashtag circulated the globe with messages of support.
Who knew that a petri dish could make an ideal setting for an addictive online game? Developed in April 2015 by 19-year old Brazilian developer Matheus Valadares, Agar.io became a rapidly trending search topic due in large part to fan videos uploaded to YouTube that captured the weirdly compelling world of petri dish competition. The game also found itself part of the Turkish elections that took place this summer. Agar.io is particularly popular in Turkey, and several political parties referenced the game’s imagery in their posters.
The Google Doodle that featured the Penny Black Stamp on May 1st piqued Canadians’ curiosity, and landed “What is a penny black stamp?” at the top of the “What is...” list, which also included questions about major news topics such as ISIS, fentanyl, police carding and MERS.
What we search tells us... a lot about us. And the Year in Search offers a unique reflection of who we were as Canadians in 2015. So before heading into a fresh new year, take a moment to look back and reflect on the year that was at google.ca/2015.
Search on Canada!
