by 
Last updated on December 10th, 2021
Once again, Google’s released its annual analysis of the year in search terms for 2017. Let’s look at what went on in the world’s most popular search engine last year.
Top global searches
- Hurricane Irma
- iPhone 8
- iPhone X
- Matt Lauer
- Meghan Markle
- 3 Reasons Why
- Tom Petty
- Fidget Spinner
- Chester Bennington
- India National Cricket Team
The top search globally was Hurricane Irma, the powerful, record-setting storm that led to devastation in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
After that came the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. Despite product fatigue by some, Apple’s newest iPhone models devices are still highly anticipated.
NBC new anchor Matt Lauer’s firing because of sexual harassment also drew a lot of searches.
Fidget spinners also appeared in the global results, as the fad reached its peak.
Unless there’s something else, I suspect “3 Reasons Why” was supposed to be “13 Reasons Why,” a popular Netflix TV show.
On the “definitely not a thing in the US” list is the India National Cricket Team coming in tenth place. I couldn’t find a particular reason (a championship?).
Top United States searches
- Hurricane Irma
- Matt Lauer
- Tom Petty
- Super Bowl
- Las Vegas shooting
- Mayweather vs McGregor fight
- Solar eclipse
- Hurricane Harvey
- Aaron Hernandez
- Fidget Spinner
Unsurprisingly, Irma also topped the US search list.
Oddly, the solar eclipse only came in at #7, despite the massive hype surrounding it… and it didn’t make the global list at all. It’s narrowly eclipsed by an also-heavily-hyped boxing match, of all things.
Top global consumer tech searches
- iPhone 8
- iPhone X
- Nintendo Switch
- Samsung Galaxy S8
- Xbox One X
- Nokia 3310
- Razer Phone
- Oppo F5
- OnePlus 5
- Nokia 6
Besides the new iPhones, the other big tech splash of 2017 was the massive popularity of the Nintendo Switch. That’s something the home of Mario and Luigi badly needed. That said, the Xbox One X also attracted a lot of attention.
Top movies (US)
- IT
- Beauty and the Beast
- Wonder Woman
- Get Out
- Justice League
- Logan
- Baby Driver
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
- Hidden Figures
- Dunkirk
The most searched films in the US didn’t necessarily reflect their success critically (see: “Justice League”). I also wonder how Google concluded “It” was the most searched movie, given it’s a common word.
It’s nice to see that “Hidden Figures” and “Get Out” both made the top 10.
Top TV shows (US)
- 13 Reasons Why
- Game of Thrones
- This Is Us
- Iron Fist
- Riverdale
- Bachelor in Paradise
- The Good Doctor
- Santa Clarita Diet
- Big Little Lies
- American Gods
The top show on the list isn’t “Game of Thrones,” or the (oddly-missing) Netflix show “Stranger Things.” Instead, it’s “13 Reasons Why,” a Netflix series about a teen who commits suicide.
Also appearing on the list is “Riverdale,” which debuted this month last year, but turned out to become a big hit for the CW. As such, Archie’s commissioned a second live-action series featuring Sabrina the Teenage Witch, based on the “Chilling Adventures” horror comic. It’s set to appear at some point on Netflix.
“Google Logo 1” by Ryan J. Quick is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (Flickr / cropped from original)
