NEW DELHI: A Google blog revealed that sports and politics dominated search queries in 2024, with the IPL, World Cup, and election results featuring prominently in the trending topics.
India’s searches spanned a fascinating spectrum a vibrant mix of sports enthusiasm and entertainment love across languages to exploring indie music hits, memes, and quirky lingo.
Indian Premier League, T20 World Cup, Olympics, Pro Kabaddi League, and Indian Super League featured in the overall top trending search list.
Sports accounted for five of the top ten trending searches for individuals, with Vinesh Phogat, Hardik Pandya, Shahshank Singh, Abhishek Sharma, and Lakshya Sen emerging as the most popular figures.
Additionally, the top 10 rankings included election results 2024, Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), and Indian National Congress (INC).
People also expressed questions and concerns about weather and health, with trending searches for “excessive heat” and “AQI (Air Quality Index) near me” garnering traction.
India’s pursuit of entertainment showcased a variety of interests, encompassing different genres, languages, and diverse styles of music.
Stree 2, Kalki 2898, 12t Fail, Laapataa Ladies, and Hanu-Man were the most searched movies, while web shows like Heeramandi, Mirzapur, Big Boss 17, and Panchayat topped the charts.
Songs like Nadaaniyan, Husn, Illuminati, and Katchi Sera were the most looked up on Google with its ‘Hum to Search’ feature, according to the blog.
This year’s top trending meme was all about relationships, with the “Orange Peel Theory” meme, sparking online conversations. While “Throning Dating” emerged as the most trending, dating-related, search.
The “Hamster Meme” and “Very Demure, Very Mindful” meme also gained popularity.
People also searched for the meanings of GenZ lingo like “Pookie,” “demure,” and “Moye Moye”.
The Palestine conflict sparked local interest, with many people inquiring about the phrase “All Eyes on Rafah”.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha elections ignited a surge in searches related to India’s political scene. Individuals seeking to understand the outcomes and their consequences, made “How to vote Lok Sabha” the most popular, “How to”, query.
India’s culinary interest was well mirrored in recipe searches for Ugadi Pachadi, Chammanthi, and Onam Sadhya, alongside cocktails and pickles.
The wanderlust soul in Indians led them to journeys spanning from the beaches of Bali to the historic streets of Azerbaijan, which became a popular choice this year. Closer home, the mountains of Manali and the lively city of Jaipur called out to travellers in search of adventure and cultural experiences.