Apparently it’s a big day for lists of things that were popular during specific periods of time, as we’ve already covered the most popular song title words of every decade and the most popular websites every year since 1996. Now, though, it’s time for something more specific to 2014: the year’s top trending searches on Google. That should be another fun list to read, right?
Nope! As it turns out, people often search for things on Google that aren’t fun, and a lot of things happened in 2014 that weren’t fun. For example, Google’s top search trend in 2014 was for Robin Williams, with Ebola and the lost Malaysian Airlines plane coming in at three and four. Number two was The World Cup, so at least that one doesn’t involve anyone dying.
Things are only slightly better in Google’s specific “People” category, with Jennifer Lawrence coming in at number one. While that might seem like a fun honor for her, don’t forget that 2014 has been a year of disappointment and misery. We’d wager that a good chunk of the people Googling her name were looking for those hacked nude photos—not to dismiss how popular she is in her own right. Also, Tracy Morgan is trending person number four, because he was in a horrible car accident. Isn’t this fun?
Google even put together a list of the top trending deaths, and that one’s at least a little fun since it lets us see which tragic loss was the most tragic. Robin Williams was number one, of course, with Philip Seymour Hoffman taking number two, Joan Rivers at number six, and Harold Ramis capping it off at number 10. This sure is a cheery time of the year, isn’t it?
Frankly, we think this entire year’s Google searches can be summed up in the top trending YouTube video, “Mutant Giant Spider Dog.” Somewhere out there, we know there are Google searches that make us as happy as a lovable little puppy, but they’re all hidden underneath a freakish monster with a bunch of legs. In a few weeks, we think we’ll start off 2015’s top trends by doing a search for “Everyone we love dies and also we’re being attacked by giant spider monsters.”
You can see all of Google’s top trending charts for yourself on its “A Year In Search” page.