In 2023, people searched for major news events like the Israel-Gaza War, the Titanic submarine implosion, and the Turkey earthquake, alongside entertainment phenomena like the Barbie and Oppenheimer movies (Barbenheimer), The Last of Us, and Taylor Swift. Daily life searches included viral trends like the Roman Empire trend, AI yearbook, and gaming (Connections, Hogwarts Legacy). People also searched for figures like Damar Hamlin, Matthew Perry, and Jenna Ortega, especially following their deaths or major life events.
2023 was the year of big films and celebrity deaths - if Google's yearly review is to be believed. Barbie and Oppenheimer were the most searched films in 2023, at least when people weren't looking for news about those who passed.
The #1 most searched thing on Google globally is typically "YouTube," followed by other platforms like "ChatGPT" and "Facebook," while trending topics vary daily but often include news, pop culture (like TV shows or games), and local searches (e.g., "restaurant near me"). For specific days or events, a particular news story or a trending show can become the top search, as seen with "Cyclone Alfred" in Australia.
As of December 2025, the most searched thing on Google is YouTube. The next most popular searches are Amazon, Facebook, Google, Gmail, and Wordle.
This year, news about unexpected relationships and breakups, massive global tours, cheating scandals and billion-dollar movies were all over our social media feeds. A new celebrity became the topic of conversation every month and some, like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, had fans enamored all year long.
'Trending' refers to the phenomenon of something being currently popular, widely debated, or acquiring considerable attention among social media users.
Trending topics often come in the form of hashtags, but they can also be simple keywords that have been frequently used on social media. Some websites have specific pages or links dedicated to trends, while others show up in or near search results.
Donald Trump, the most searched person of the year. Pokémon Go, the most searched term of the year.
Google Trends is a website by Google that analyzes the popularity of top search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. The website uses graphs to compare the search volume of different queries over a certain period of time.
No, people can't see that you've Googled them. Alphabet Inc., the company behind Google Search, doesn't have any business interest in letting people know when they've been searched. Although it may well keep records like this for its own reasons, it doesn't share this information with individuals.
From the Google Trends “Trending now” page, you can: Explore trending searches for 100+ countries and regions (where applicable) around the world. Focus on trends that are more recent (4 hours ago), as well as looking at trends that started in the past day or 2 days. Lastly, see trends that started in the past 7 days.
Why doesn't Generation Z use Google? Google is (and looks set to remain for quite some time) the largest online search portal. However, Generation Z prefers visual and interactive platforms to solve doubts or find inspiration.
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Modern Gen Z fashion is a mix of nostalgic revivals (like Y2K), comfort-focused streetwear, bold self-expression, and conscious consumerism, emphasizing oversized fits, gender-fluid dressing, thrifted items, and cultural fusion, moving away from polished perfection towards authentic, relaxed, and sustainable styles. Key elements include baggy jeans, cargo pants, graphic tees, chunky sneakers, co-ords, and mixing traditional and Western looks, all driven by social media trends like TikTok.
Trends:
Trending is when a specific topic, hashtag, or keyword becomes popular and receives more visibility and engagement than usual on a given social media platform, like Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram.
Google bases the data on a random sample of the actual search results. Interest will be a value between 0 and 100. A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the keyword whereas a value of 50 means that the keyword is half as popular. A score of 0 means there was not enough data.
You can erase one search, or all of your search history from a day, week, or ever.