A Google search for One Direction.

This week Google released its package of information on search in 2012.  This list is summarized in a very cool video which reminds us that the items that end up on top of Google’s list are the extremes—the things that fascinate us, scare us, amaze us, inspire us, enrage us and entertain us.  It is a reminder that people connect with the stories and accomplishments of other people and that our appetite for emotional stories is insatiable.   For those of us who work daily to create relevant web content for clients and for ourselves, it is an education that should not be lost on us as a lesson in what works.

In my review of the Google lists it was no surprise to me to learn that the number one trending searched image was One Direction, an English-Irish boy band that has become all the rage across the globe.  I totally get it.

My fourteen year-old grand-daughter and her friend have shared their “fanness” with me and I have embraced it.  We’ve entered contests.  We’ve camped out on the streets of New York to be one of 15,000 fans on the Today Show Plaza for a record-setting concert. We’ve stalked them at their hotel.  This summer we are going to Nashville for the One Direction Concert Tour—a tour that sold out more than 12 months of performances about as quick as I can say Niall, Zayn, Liam, Harry and Louis. Yep.  I’m right there on-trend.

And trending image number three?  It’s the iPhone 5 of course.  Like One Direction, this product has its own crazy, loyal fan base and certainly knows how to create a stir.   Yep. I have one.  Again, right on trend.

Check out the lists.  Find your personal favorites.  See where your favorites show up.  Happy searching.

Note:  Trending

The “trending” queries are the searches that had the highest amount of traffic over a sustained period in 2012 as compared to 2011.