Here’s what South Africans searched for on Google in 2018

On Wednesday, 12 December 2018, Google announced the results of its 2018 Year in Search, offering a unique perspective on the year’s major moments and top trends based on searches conducted in South Africa.

This year’s trending searches show South Africans keen interest in local celebrities, news and events, with six of the top 10 trending search terms being local. The top personalities list also reflects this – three of the top 10 are politicians, two are sports stars, and the other five related to current affairs and news events.

The top questions list shows South Africans’ awareness of and curiosity about what is happening in the world around them – from celebrities to more personal concerns, while the ‘near me’ list shows just how much South Africans have come to rely on online sources to find businesses close to them. From the World Cup to listeriosis, Zuma and Global Citizen, South Africans use search to find the things they really need to know.

Top trending South African searches

• World Cup fixtures
• Load shedding
• Global Citizen
• Zuma
• Winnie Mandela
• HHP
• Listeriosis
• Black Panther
• Meghan Markle
• Mac Miller

Trending personalities

• Zuma
• Cyril Ramaphosa
• Sbahle Mpisane
• Kevin Anderson
• Malusi Gigaba
• Ashwin Willemse
• Patrice Motsepe
• Cheryl Zondi
• Shamila Batohi
• Mlindo the Vocalist

Top Questions

• How did Avicii die?
• How old is Pharrell Williams?
• What is listeriosis?
• What is black data?
• How old is Prince Harry?
• How much are Global Citizen tickets?
• How to get pregnant?
• What time is the royal wedding?
• What happened to HHP?
• How old is Meghan Markle?

Top ‘near me’ searches

• Jobs near me
• Nandos near me
• Dischem near me
• McDonalds near me
• Guest house near me
• Postnet near me
• Steers near me
• Spar near me
• Debonairs near me
• Spur near me

Top women

• Winnie Mandela
• Meghan Markle
• Sbahle Mpisane
• Aretha Franklin
• Khloe Kardashian
• Sophie Ndaba
• Cheryl Zondi
• Demi Lovato
• Lerato Sengadi
• Siam Lee

Google search trends data is available at https://www.google.co.za/trends/hottrends#pn=p40

Edited by Fundisiwe Maseko
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