Yahoo!’s Year in Review Reveals the Daily Search Habits of 2012

2012 Proves to Be a Year of Standout News and Pop Culture Obsessions

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) revealed the annual list of top searches. Yahoo!’s Year in Review 2012 reflects the daily search habits of users and offers a glimpse into the social trends, compelling newsmakers, top stories, and viral fads of 2012 based on what millions of people searched for. It is clear when looking at the top search habits that partisan politics, the Olympic Games, a seesaw recovery, and a galloping Korean pop singer captured the world’s attention.

Celebrities and technological gadgets draw plenty of online curiosity, but the 2012 elections dominated online searches this year. The elections saturated headline news and ads, but people still checked in online to see what was developing in the presidential elections, as well as their own state and local races. Anticipation for the iPhone 5, in a post-Steve Jobs era, helped Apple maintain a presence in the Yahoo! Top 10. Kim Kardashian, a staple in the Top 10 since 2009, reached the height of her online popularity as most searched person on Yahoo!. Model Kate Upton ricocheted into the national consciousness by landing the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. And the obsession with the royals continued in 2012 as Kate Middleton became the third-most searched person on Yahoo!, thanks in part to her grandmother-in-law’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.

It’s no surprise the elections preoccupied the online audience, but people obviously had time beyond their civic duties to indulge their guilty pleasures and viral compulsions. The Obsessions list has returned: iPhone 5 snagged the No. 1 slot in a list mostly dominated by pop culture trends like “The Hunger Games,” reality TV breakout Honey Boo Boo, British boy band One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen’s much-memed song “Call Me Maybe,” and the galloping global hit “Gangnam Style” by Korean pop singer Psy.

The election season provided a perfect opportunity to show how quickly things can go viral. Binders full of women, eastwooding, and Big Bird memes all became viral sensations in 2012. And who can forget the stingray photobomb, and of course McKayla Maroney not being impressed.

Users were all about gadgets in 2012. From the iPhone 5 to the iPad mini and the Samsung Galaxy, folks were jonesing for the latest tech trends.

The top two athletes searched overall on Yahoo! in 2012 were Tiger Woods and Maria Sharapova. But all eyes turned to London this summer for the Games of the XXX Olympiad. The Olympics were a top search overall on Yahoo!, and while the “Fab Five” garnered a lot of searches, it was Maria Sharapova, Lolo Jones, Serena Williams, and Hope Solo that topped the Olympian list on Yahoo!.

It looks like the Dallas Cowboys really are “America’s team,” as they top the list of all sports teams on Yahoo! in 2012. Even the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and game schedule were tops. However, it looks like MLB is giving the NFL a run for its money when it comes to being “America’s sport,” with five baseball teams in the Top 10 sports team searches.

“Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call me maybe?” — It is no surprise that music newcomer Carly Rae Jepsen’s song “Call Me Maybe” became the top-searched song of 2012. The song had everyone from the Harvard baseball team to the USA Olympic swim team and even “Sesame Street” getting into the tune. “Gangnam Style” also had viral impact in 2012 and was the second-most searched song on Yahoo!.

The top-searched TV shows overall on Yahoo! in 2012 reflect our continued obsession with competition reality shows. Topping the list: “American Idol” followed by “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Young & the Restless.” The top-searched TV dramas were “The Walking Dead” and “Game of Thrones.” But mostly in 2012, people wanted to laugh, and the shows below represent the top-searched comedies on TV in 2012.

When you have a question, you want an answer, and users immediately turn to Yahoo! to get the answers to their most pressing questions. The top “who is” question on Yahoo! in 2012 was [who is the girl with the dragon tattoo] and the top “where is question” was [where is the superbowl this year]. The top “what is” and how-to questions are below:

Every day on Yahoo! at 5 p.m., as folks across the country prepare for dinner, [chicken recipes] spike on Yahoo!. This staple protein was the top search in the Recipes category. Putting tradition aside, there were also a lot of searches for weird and quirky foods in 2012.

Politicians were better behaved this year than last, when their antics allowed for their own Top 10 list. Yet there was no end to scandalous behavior in 2012, which brought the downfall of a cycling icon, a four-star general, and even the president’s (Secret Service) men.

For more about the Yahoo! 2012 Year in Review and other top searches, go to yearinreview.yahoo.com or search for “2012 Year in Review” on Yahoo.com.

About the Yahoo! Year in Review Methodology

To develop the Yahoo! Year in Review, our editors analyze Yahoo! Search queries based on a number of factors, including absolute volume and growth from previous periods, to see which themes and trends bubble to the surface. Individuals and their Search queries always remain anonymous.

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! is focused on making the world’s daily habits more inspiring and entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the company’s blog (yodel.yahoo.com).