Here are the insights on the year’s major events and the hottest trends based on Google searches conducted in Singapore.
The top trending search item — the mysterious disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight 370 — is the story that hit Singaporeans the hardest this year, with searches for “MH370” five times higher than the top trending local news search, “PSI Singapore”. Other headlines that grabbed attention this year include news of the MH370, the referendum in Scotland, the announcement of the 2014 Budget and the opening of Singapore’s new Sports Hub.
News of the Ebola outbreak in parts of West Africa and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge also got Singaporeans into research mode, with Singaporeans not just looking for the latest news, but digging into the topics with searches for “What is ALS” and “What is Ebola” at #1 and #2 on the “What is…” list.
2014 was a big year for Singaporean sports fans as well. Unsurprisingly, in a nation crazy for the beautiful game, “World Cup 2014” spiked in searches. And of all the World Cup match-ups, the semifinal stunner that hosts Brazil played against victors Germany proved most popular, with the final match between Argentina and Germany being the second most popular match. Other sporting events that caught the nation’s eye include the “Asian Games”, “Wimbledon” and “F1 Singapore”.
(Photo Credit – Pink Apple)
2014’s worldwide sports craze may well have sparked a fitness craze in Singapore. Many went online to search for marathons to sink their feet into, from the Shape and ST runs to the quirky but equally competitive Hello Kitty and Garfield runs. Some even took to the streets at night to enjoy the party atmosphere of the Illumi Run.
Not that an interest in running would lead the food-loving nation to abandon its love of delicious recipes and treats — searches for “run” came in neck and neck with searches for “recipe”. Truly a city of international flavors, Singaporeans bit into everything, from local favorites like “Sambal Chicken”, “Dumpling Soup” and Walnut Paste” to international fare like “Tiramisu” and “Budae-jjigae”.
Singaporeans also proved equally international in their entertainment choices, veering towards Hollywood hits in their movie choices, but diving into Asian creations on TV with Korea’s “Emergency Couple”, Hong Kong’s ““使徒 行者” (Line Walker) and India’s “Bigg Boss 8” coming in as the top 3 trending TV shows. Not only that, 6 out of the top 10 TV shows this year were Asian, including Malaysia’s hit drama “Rindu Awak 200%” (Miss You 200%).
Movie soundtracks hit a high note as well, with both “Let It Go” from Frozen and “Everything is Awesome” from the Lego Movie breaking into the Trending Songs list for the year. “Let it Go” was searched for 3 times more than the next hit song on the list, “Say Something”.
Not the world’s top smartphone nation for nothing — according to Google’s Consumer Barometer study, Singapore leads the world in smartphone penetration — Singaporeans were captivated by this year’s latest mobile phone releases, from the much anticipated iPhone 6 to the Galaxy S5 and Xiaomi’s Redmi.
| Trending Searches | Trending International News | Trending Singapore News |
| 1. MH370 | 1. MH370 | 1. PSI Singapore |
| 2. World Cup 2014 | 2. MH17 | 2. GST voucher 2014 |
| 3. iPhone 6 | 3. ALS | 3. Singapore Budget 2014 |
| 4. MH17 | 4. Ebola | 4. NDP 2014 |
| 5. Robin Williams | 5. ISIS | 5. Westgate Mall |
| 6. PSI Singapore | 6. Ukraine | 6. Pioneer Generation Package |
| 7. Interstellar | 7. Gaza | 7. Singapore Sports Hub |
| 8. Jennifer Lawrence | 8. Scotland | 8. Singapore vs Juventus |
| 9. Xiaomi | 9. South Korea ferry | 9. MCE |
| 10. Anton Casey | 10. Hong Kong protest | 10. CPF contribution rate |
| Trending People | Trending Sportspersons | Trending Events |
| 1. Robin Williams | 1. Michael Schumacher | 1. World Cup |
| 2. Jennifer Lawrence | 2. Juan Mata | 2. COMEX |
| 3. Anton Casey | 3. James Rodríguez | 3. Asian Games |
| 4. Ladies Code | 4. Ángel Di María | 4. IT Show |
| 5. Joan Rivers | 5. Ultimate Warrior | 5. Wimbledon |
| 6. Michael Schumacher | 6. Sabina Altynbekova | 6. Oscars |
| 7. Kim Soo Hyun | 7. Radamel Falcao | 7. PC Show |
| 8. Philip Seymour Hoffman | 8. Jules Bianchi | 8. Star Awards |
| 9. Bernice Wong | 9. Kim Yuna | 9. Australian Open |
| 10. Jover Chew | 10. Mario Götze | 10. F1 Singapore |
| Trending World Cup Matches | Trending Running Events | Trending Recipes |
| 1. Brazil v Germany | 1. Electric Run | 1. Grilled prawns |
| 2. Germany v Argentina | 2. Hello Kitty Run | 2. Budae-jjigae |
| 3. Netherlands v Argentina | 3. Green Corridor Run | 3. Gyoza |
| 4. Germany v Portugal | 4. Garfield Run | 4. Chicken sambal |
| 5. Brazil v Netherlands | 5. ST Run | 5. Spaghetti aglio olio |
| 6. Brazil v Chile | 6. Shape Run | 6. Tiramisu |
| 7. Argentina v Belgium | 7. Newton Challenge | 7. Gingerbread man |
| 8. Brazil v Colombia | 8. Hong Bao Run | 8. Carbonara |
| 9. France v Germany | 9. Marina Run | 9. Dumpling soup |
| 10. Argentina v Switzerland | 10. Illumi Run | 10. Walnut paste |
| Trending “What is…” | Trending on Mobile | Trending Gadgets |
| 1. ALS | 1. World Cup 2014 | 1. iPhone 6 |
| 2. Ebola | 2. MH370 | 2. Galaxy Note 4 |
| 3. Bitcoin | 3. iPhone 6 | 3. Galaxy S5 |
| 4. ISIS | 4. MH17 | 4. iPhone 6 Plus |
| 5. Bae | 5. Robin Williams | 5. iPad Air 2 |
| 6. Asphyxia | 6. PSI Singapore | 6. G3 |
| 7. Hamas | 7. Interstellar | 7. Nexus 6 |
| 8. OTP | 8. Olympic Charter | 8. Apple Watch |
| 9. Shingles | 9. Brazil v Germany | 9. Redmi |
| 10. MERS | 10. Jennifer Lawrence | 10. Oculus Rift |
| Trending TV Shows | Trending Movies of 2014 | Trending Songs |
| 1. Emergency Couple | 1. Interstellar | 1. Let It Go (Frozen) |
| 2. 使徒 行者 (Line Walker) | 2. Divergent | 2. Say Something (A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera) |
| 3. Bigg Boss 8 | 3. Godzilla | 3. Blank Space (Taylor Swift) |
| 4. Rindu Awak 200% (Miss You 200%) | 4. Maze Runner | 4. Counting Stars (OneRepublic) |
| 5. Doctor Stranger | 5. Gone Girl | 5. Anaconda (Nicki Minaj) |
| 6. Sherlock | 6. Maleficent | 6. Rude (Magic) |
| 7. Tokyo Ghoul | 7. Edge of Tomorrow | 7. Bang Bang (Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj) |
| 8. Gotham | 8. Transformers: Age of Extinction | 8. Demons (Imagine Dragons) |
| 9. 叛逃 (Ruse of Engagement) | 9. Frozen | 9. Everything is Awesome (The Lego Movie) |
| 10. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D | 10. Dracula Untold | 10. Fancy (Iggy Azalea) |
