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Top 2017 Google searches in SA

Paula Gilbert
By Paula Gilbert, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 13 Dec 2017
Google's trending searches of 2017 in SA show growing interest in local celebrities and events.
Google's trending searches of 2017 in SA show growing interest in local celebrities and events.

Slain actor Dumi Masilela, Zimbabwe and Cyclone Dineo were the top three trending Google searches in South Africa in 2017. This according to the search giant which today announced its 2017 'year in search' results at an event in Johannesburg.

This year's trending searches show growing interest in local celebrities and events, with seven of the top 10 trending search terms being local, in contrast to fewer than half last year.

Google SA communications and public affairs head, Mich Atagana, says she was surprises by how many local items made the list this year.

"Usually in South Africa we see a mixture of global and local events that make the list but this year it was predominantly dominated by local events. I think this is really telling of the society, not just that more people coming online, but also that South Africans are genuinely interested in South Africa and the surrounds," she says.

Searches for 'Rhythm City' actor Dumi Masilela topped the list after he was shot and killed during an attempted hijacking in August. Zimbabwe was the second most searched item, following the country's leadership change after former president Robert Mugabe resigned last month. The third most searched item was Cyclone Dineo which hit SA in February.

"One of my biggest surprises was that there are no Gupta mentions on any of the lists. That just shows you that something may be popular in the mind of the people but it's not the questions that people are asking Google, it's not what they are looking for," Atagana adds.

"A lot of the lists are not as predictable as you think they will be. [US president Donald] Trump didn't make our people list either, when we thought he would."

The information was gleaned from data collated by Google based on what South Africans have been searching for and asking Google this year. Google processes more than 40 000 search queries every second. This translates to more than a billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide.

Top trending South African searches

  1. Dumi Masilela
  2. Zimbabwe
  3. Cyclone Dineo
  4. Joe Mafela
  5. Karabo Mokoena
  6. Joost van der Westhuizen
  7. Black Friday
  8. Mayweather vs McGregor fight
  9. Fast & Furious 8
  10. Hurricane Irma

Trending

Google unveiled six South Africa specific lists this year, the main one being the overall top trending SA searches as well as trending personalities, trending questions, top 'near me' searches, top TV shows and top searched recipes.

In terms of the top 10 questions asked "what is dineo?" came in first place while "what is bitcoin?" was the second most searched question. The third most asked question was "who won the money fight?" followed by "what role can the private sector play in poverty alleviation?" and "how to lose belly fat?".

"One of my big surprises this year was the question around how to alleviate poverty, I thought that was quite fascinating. I'd never seen a question like that before in the three years I've done this. It's usually very mundane questions and everyday things like "how to make scones?" or a couple of years ago "how to take a bath?", things like that.

"This year I thought it was very telling of the South African society some of the questions that we saw, including things like "what is junk status?" which made the list [at number nine]."

Google also found that South Africans are increasingly using search to find local businesses. This is highlighted in the new 'near me' search list which shows what types of businesses South Africans search for in their neighbourhoods.

"We want to explore this list more, to understand a bit better what kind of businesses South Africans are looking for and how businesses can also use this information to make sure they are there when people are looking for the information."

In terms of the global list Atagana said it was very different to South Africa's list with the top five trending searches globally being: (1) Hurricane Irma; (2) iPhone 8; (3) iPhone X; (4) Matt Lauer; and (5) Meghan Markle.

Trending personalities

  1. Dumi Masilela
  2. Joe Mafela
  3. Joost van der Westhuizen
  4. Zodwa Wabantu
  5. Mandla Hlatshwayo
  6. Lundi Tyamara
  7. Simphiwe Ngema
  8. Grace Mugabe
  9. Hugh Hefner
  10. Chester Bennington

Questions

  1. What is dineo?
  2. What is bitcoin?
  3. Who won the money fight?
  4. What role can the private sector play in poverty alleviation?
  5. How to lose belly fat?
  6. How old is Simphiwe Ngema?
  7. What is happening in Zimbabwe?
  8. How to make slime?
  9. What is junk status?
  10. How to manage xenophobia?

Top 'near me' searches

  1. Pharmacy near me
  2. Dentist near me
  3. KFC near me
  4. Jobs hiring near me
  5. Hardware store near me
  6. Gynaecologist near me
  7. Printing shops near me
  8. Steers near me
  9. Sushi near me
  10. Doctors near me

Top TV shows

  1. 13 reasons why
  2. Games of Thrones
  3. Isibaya
  4. Uzalo
  5. Big Brother Naija
  6. American Gods
  7. Idols SA
  8. Sex in the City
  9. Big Little Lies
  10. Riverdale

Top searched recipes

  1. Oxtail recipes
  2. Sweet potato recipes
  3. Beef stew recipes
  4. Vegan recipes
  5. Creamed spinach recipes
  6. Halal recipes
  7. Prawn recipes
  8. Spaghetti recipes
  9. Cauliflower recipes
  10. Bread recipes

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