Top Searches: #1 Elections
The United States is sometimes criticized for its citizens' apparent lack of interest in politics, at least beyond the celebrity angle. But "elections" was this year's most-searched term on Yahoo!, even though the long campaign probably made a lot of people weary towards the end.
In the dozen years Yahoo! has ranked its annual Top 10 searches, only two other news events captured the top spot: the BP oil spill in 2010, and Michael Jackson's death in 2009. This year the half-billion people who visit Yahoo! every month typed the word "elections" more than any other.
Hobbled by a struggling economy and acrimonious partisanship, elections became something of a turning point for the United States. However, political news often dominated headlines in the months before. For instance, the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling made corporations legally similar to human beings in terms of campaign contribution limits, raising concerns campaign spending would zoom out of control. And it did, as politicians, their supporting organizations and political action committees created something of their own economic stimulus, spending a collective $6 billion on campaigns.
It's not clear how much super PACs, which are the vehicles the well-heeled and corporate interests can use to fund advertising, actually were able to "buy" races. The Sunlight Foundation, which has a mission to promote transparency in government, calculated that returns on political investment ranged from a dismal 1.29% for American Crossroads, GOP operative Karl Rove's PAC, to 98% for Planned Parenthood Action Fund. However, searches on Yahoo! revealed a potentially more engaged electorate, as users browsed issues, reviewed platforms, compared candidates, and relentlessly checked facts.
Top Searches: #2 iPhone 5
Anticipation for the iPhone 5, in a post-Steve Jobs era, helped fuel the smartphone's record-breaking sales: More than 5 million were sold within three days of its Sept. 21 launch. That, an iPod touch reboot, and the iPad mini all helped solidify Apple's status as the most valuable company in history and propelled the iPhone 5 close to the top of the list.
As with all devices, there are glitches, such as with the company's own history with its antenna (the so-called "death grip"). This time, ire centered around the decision to swap Google Maps in favor of Apple Maps, in which transit routes and entire towns were reportedly missing. Apple promised better things would come, and one employee may have lost his job over the debacle. The iPhone even became the target of a countersuit by Samsung, which claimed that the design infringed on its patents — the suit was filed after the Korean electronic companies was ordered to pay Apple $1.05 billion for its own patent infringement.
Top Searches: #3 Kim Kardashian
Celebrity archetypes—the reality star, the cover girl, the comeback queen, and the recovering train wreck—returned to the Top 10. Kim Kardashian, a staple since 2009, reached the height of her online popularity as the most searched person in 2012. (In 2011, she was second only to the notorious Casey Anthony.) Much of the attention stemmed from her ongoing divorce saga with New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries and her current high-profile relationship with hip-hop singer Kanye West. Her brand image took some body blows with the breakup and lawsuits over controversial endorsements, but the Kardashian name remains lucrative, with a three-year renewal for "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," another fragrance, and the debut of the Kardashian Kollection with sisters Khloe and Kourtney.
Top Searches: #4 Kate Upton
Kate Upton bounced into the national consciousness in 2011 the old-fashioned way: Posing in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. The blonde parlayed her form in viral videos and in two small movie roles ("Tower Heist," "The Three Stooges"). She cemented her online status with a vaunted SI cover shot in a tiny Kathleen Bruening two-piece that barely covered her merits.
The bikini shot wasn't her only claim to fame: Like Kim Kardashian before her, Upton has deployed social media to savvy advantage: "I studied this," she told the The New York Times, which described how she cultivated a YouTube following, made herself a "largely self-created Internet phenomenon," and parlayed that fame into modeling. Although she didn't fit the usual pattern of supermodels, nevertheless her numbers (as in her AskMen.com ranking or YouTube audience) proved doubters she had plenty of appeal. As her so-called superagent described her, "She’s the Jayne Mansfield of the Internet."
Top Searches: #5 Kate Middleton
Following the 2011 wedding of the century, Her Royal Highness Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, Baroness Carrickfergus, was guaranteed to be in the spotlight. After all, this year would focus the world's attention on Great Britain itself, as Queen Elizabeth celebrated her Diamond Jubilee and the world's top amateur athletes attended the London Games.
Unfortunately, she found herself in a situation more familiar to brother-in-law Harry, caught in his royal birthday suit in Las Vegas. Just weeks later, a pesky paparazzo aimed his telephoto lens at the sunbathing duchess at her private residence in France. The shot made the cover of Closer, a French tabloid, as well as Web fodder for royal peepers. A lawsuit soon followed, citing a "grotesque and unjustifiable invasion of privacy," as Middleton gracefully soldiered on.
Of course, there could be another reason for so much Web interest in these snaps: Tabloids have been seeking proof since her engagement to Prince William that a royal heir was on the way. Her new haircut even spurred speculation (as well as fans rushing to their own hair stylists) that her new bangs was actually masking incipient pregnancy weight. And voila, the news of the happy couple was indeed expecting was revealed in December — a nice Christmas present for royal-philes.
Top Searches: #6 Whitney Houston
Like Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse before her, the unexpected death of superstar Whitney Houston on Feb. 11 galvanized an online rush. The singer-actress, who had a well-chronicled drug addiction, had been missing in action for some time.
Yet with news of her death came reports that a long-promised comeback had been under way (notably, her first film role in 16 years), making her fatal accident ("drowning and effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use") all the more heartbreaking. Death came 24 hours before her return performance at a pre-Grammy gala. The awards ceremony paid tribute to Houston the next day; at the time, her room at the Beverly Hilton was still considered a crime scene.
Top Searches: #7 Olympics
Fans gathered in London, around TV sets, and online to witness a 16-day gathering of nations at the Olympics. Surprising Twitter missteps led to a couple of expulsions, but the keenest athletes displayed their talents in jubilant competition. Particularly buzzy were the advances for female athletes: The first-ever women's boxing, a very pregnant competitor, and the women on the U.S. team outnumbering men for the first time in Olympic history.
The U.S. women's gymnastics team, dubbed 'The Fierce Five,' captured American hearts along with the team gold medal. Disappointed silver medalist McKayla Maroney inspired imitators online and in real life (including in the Oval Office) with her 'not impressed' face. Teen sensation Missy Franklin delivered, as did the U.S. women's soccer team and the dominant U.S. basketball teams.
And then there was Michael Phelps. Competing in his final Olympic Games, Phelps won six medals, four of them gold. In doing so, the Baltimore swimmer became the most decorated Olympian of all time.
Top Searches: #8 Political Polls
Political polls didn't just make the Top 10 Searches on Yahoo, which is calculated by the search volume of related keywords. The term also made the Obsessions list, thanks to a combination of search volume and significant percentage spike in searches for polls compared to 2011. Although the election campaign had been going on for two years, the focus on polls became more intense once Mitt Romney had won enough primaries to secure the Republican candidacy for president.
America had developed a hyper-focus on numbers, including government budgets, Wall Street finances, deficits, and campaign spending. In a time of sabermetrics and Freakonomics, voters closely monitored ever-shifting, often contradictory political polls. Pollsters themselves even became the story, from Gallup (criticized for declaring a 7-point Mitt Romney lead 16 days before Election Day) to Nate Silver's statistical sweep. The Signal on Yahoo! also played the predictions game, projecting that President Obama would win 303 electoral votes to the Republican nominee's 235. (Final tally: 332 for Obama and 206 for challenger Mitt Romney.)
Top Searches: #9 Lindsay Lohan
Occupying the spot in our list once dominated by Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan is another child star turned troubled adult. Lohan had first appeared in the Top 10 Searches in 2005, when she was flush with success from "Mean Girls" and her new album. Since then, her fortunes have waned, as she went through a revolving door of rehab. Lohan fell off the list in 2009 and 2010, but reappeared last year with the notoriety over her frequent court appearances.
In 2012, she chronicled some hopeful turning points with the end of her probation. A primetime "Glee" guest episode, and several projects — notably her turn as the late Liz Taylor and a photo shoot in Playboy — checked off. But November brought more bad news from both coasts, as Lohan was charged with crimes in New York and Los Angeles.
Top Searches: #10 Jennifer Lopez
Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez displayed remarkable staying power. She debuted in the Top 10 back in 2002, and then rebounded in 2011 after throwing in her fortunes with "American Idol." She charmed her way into a comeback, despite the reality show's own declining ratings fortunes — although a reported $20 million salary helped boost hers.
Even potentially devastating news—her divorce from Marc Anthony—carried a whiff of I-am-woman-hear-me-roar (and her relationship with the much younger beau Casper Smart didn't hurt). In 2012, she released a best-of album and embarked on a first headlining tour. She queued up two movies for release this year ("What to Expect When You're Expecting" and as a voice actor in "Ice Age: Continental Drift"), with a third co-starring Jason Statham coming out in January 2013. Lopez also made the awards show circuit, with a reunion of sorts with her ex, Marc Antony. With a packed schedule, Lopez's announcement that she would quit "Idol" wasn't a surprise. Notably, the show that helped her reboot has made the Top 10 searches for 7 out of 10 years — but not in 2012.
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