Some years from now I’ll be recounting the pivotal year of 2008 to my daughter as she seeks to understand the world into which she was brought. Perhaps Yahoo’s review of the top search terms will aid us in our investigation of that world, and help her decide whether 2008 was a good time to be born or not.
I’ll have to tell her that in 2008, Yahoo searchers were still more interested in Britney Spears and professional wrestling than the first African American President of the United States.
Perhaps a Taoist approach will be better: become an uncarved block and neither Sarah Palin nor a crashing economy will harm you. Yes, okay, for now we’ll just say things are what they are without judgment, if such a thing is possible, and leave it to her (and you) to interpret. Without any further philosophizing (or my newfound constant worry) here is a series of Yahoo search top tens, from overall search terms to politics to news.
Top 10 Overall Searches
1. Britney Spears
2. WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)
3. Barack Obama
4. Miley Cyrus
5. RuneScape
6. Jessica Alba
7. Naruto
8. Lindsay Lohan
9. Angelina Jolie
10. American Idol
Top 10 Economic Searches
1. IRS Stimulus Checks
2. Oil Prices
3. Gold Prices
4. Gas Prices
5. Dow Jones
6. Sallie Mae
7. Stock Market
8. AIG
9. Foreclosures
10. Debt Consolidation
Top 10 Politician Searches
1. Barack Obama
2. Sarah Palin
3. John McCain
4. Hillary Clinton
5. George Bush
6. Ron Paul
7. John Edwards
8. Mike Huckabee
9. Arnold Schwarzenegger
10. Mitt Romney
Top 10 News Stories
1. Hurricanes
2. Caylee and Casey Anthony
3. Election 2008
4. Pakistan
5. Pregnant Man
6. China
7. Iraq
8. Shelley Malil
9. Patrick Swayze
10. Afghanistan
Top 10 Olympian Searches
1. Michael Phelps
2. Leryn Franco
3. Serena Williams
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Shawn Johnson
6. Jennie Finch
7. Misty May Treanor
8. Ronaldinho
9. Alicia Sacramone
10. Nastia Liukin
Top 10 Rising Celebrity Searches
1. Miley Cyrus
2. Vanessa Anne Hudgens
3. Chris Brown
4. Jonas Brothers
5. Rihanna
6. Taylor Swift
7. Jamie Lynn Spears
8. Hayden Panettiere
9. Zac Efron
10. Selena Gomez
Top 10 Searched Influential Women
1. Angelina Jolie
2. Sarah Palin
3. Oprah
4. Hillary Clinton
5. Gina Carano
6. Tina Fey
7. Michelle Obama
8. Katie Couric
9. Barbara Walters
10. Dara Torres
Top 10 Send-Offs
1. Heath Ledger
2. Bernie Mac
3. Paul Newman
4. Randy Pausch
5. George Carlin
6. Estelle Getty
7. Tim Russert
8. Brad Renfro
9. Isaac Hayes
10. Boyd Coddington
