So what were South Africans searching for in Google while they were supposed to be working in 2012?
Google has announced its annual Zeitgeist, a look at 2012 through the collective eyes of the world on the web.
Topping the list for overall trending South African searches in 2012 is free classifieds site OLXs. Singer Whitney Houston, who passed away in February this year, claims second place on the South African list.
Hurricane Sandy, which devastated portions of the US, the Caribbean and the Mid-Atlantic in October this year, came in third.
2012 was perhaps the year of discovering love in South Africa with users asking ‘how to kiss’ and ‘what is love?’.
And unexpected hobbies seem to be making a come-back, with ‘how to hack’, ‘how to crochet’ and ‘how to knit’ also making it into the Top Ten ‘how to’s’.
In terms of tech trends, the iPad 3 captured South Africa’s imagination, coming in 10th overall, and grabbing first place on the Top Gadgets list.
In addition to showcasing what people were curious about in South Africa, Google Zeitgeist tools also offer insight into which topics captured the world’s attention in 2012. Top search terms from over fifty countries appear on googlezeitgeist.com
Here are the lists:
South Africa Overall Trending Searches
OLX
Whitney Houston
Hurricane Sandy
Gangnam Style
Olympics
Velvet Sky
Caster Semenya
Diablo 3
Khanyi Mbau
iPad 3
South Africa trending: People
whitney houston
caster semenya
khanyi mbau
chad le clos
usain bolt
lance armstrong
felix baumgartner
brown dash
april jones
michael clarke duncan
South Africa trending: Sports People
caster semenya
chad le clos
usain bolt
lance armstrong
felix baumgartner
corrie sanders
thomas madigage
robin van persie
michael phelps
john cena
South Africa trending: Sports Events
olympics 2012
euro 2012
paralymics 2012
wimbledon 2012
cricket live scores
fifa 13
dakar 2012
durban july 2012
super rugby 2012
uefa euro 2012
South Africa trending: Events
hurricane sandy
euro 2012
olympics 2012
velvet sky
whitney houston funeral
mothers day 2012
paralympics 2012
american idol 2012
wimbledon 2012
linkin park
South Africa overall trending: How to...
how to kiss
how to draw
how to love
how to study
how to meditate
how to hack
how to pray
how to crochet
how to knit
how to flirt
South Africa trending: What is…?
what is love
what is poverty
what is illuminati
what is cancer
what is hiv
what is technology
what is pollution
what is tourism
what is stress
what is heritage
South Africa trending: What is…? Health
what is cancer
what is hiv
what is stress
what is aids
what is tb
what is diabetes
what is obesity
what is lupus
what is cholera
what is ovulation
South Africa top trending: TV series
American Idol 2012
Terra Nova
Revenge
Alcatraz
X factor
Revenge Season 2
Homeland
Celebrity Apprentice
Survivor Samoa
Masterchef South Africa
South Africa trending: Images
Lady Gaga
Funny Pictures
Nicki Minaj
Wedding Dresses
Happy Birthday
One Direction
Justin Bieber
Riaan Cruywagen
Love
Selena Gomez
South Africa trending: Gadgets and phones
ipad 3
samsung galaxy s3
samsung galaxy s2
ipad mini
nokia n9
iphone 4s
nokia lumia
blackberry 9360
galaxy s3
blackberry 9320
South Africa Top Trending: Vehicles
Toyota 86
Toyota Etios
Kia rio
Kia Optima
Nissan Juke
Golf7 GTI
Hyundai
Mercedes Benz
Toyota 86 Specs
New Audi A3
* What is Google’s Year-End Zeitgeist? “Zeitgeist” means “the spirit of the times.” At the end of each year, Google celebrates this spirit by revisiting the year's top searches around the world.