Google's Top Searches of 2018: Dead Celebrities, World Cup, and Meghan Markle
*By Carlo Versano*
What do Stan Lee, Logan Paul, and the royal wedding have in common?
They were among the most Googled terms of 2018.
Justin Burr, the search trends expert at Google, gave Cheddar some insight into the top Google trends of the year.
Google searches can provide one of the more unvarnished looks into our own psyches ーand the annual compendium of what we searched for often does a better job of capturing a moment in time, or particular mood, than any poll or survey.
As is often the case, celebrity deaths made up the bulk of the top Google searches of 2018, Burr said. Of the top 10 searches this year, seven were for celebrities who had died: Avicii, Mac Miller, Stan Lee, Anthony Bourdain, XXXTentacion, Kate Spade, and Stephen Hawking. The other three: "Black Panther," Meghan Markle, and the World Cup. (The World Cup won the distinction of being the top search in both the U.S. and around the world.)
"People always go to Google when there are deaths," Burr said, "to understand who they were and what they did."
In news searches, the Cup once again reigned supreme, followed by Hurricane Florence, the Mega Millions jackpot, the royal wedding, and election results.
Burr said Google saw a huge spike in queries for "how to vote" leading up to the midterm election, which would jibe with the results ー which showed turnout was at a 50-year high.
In terms of individuals, the most-searched names: Meghan Markle (again), Demi Lovato, Sylvester Stallone, Logan Paul, and Khloé Kardashian. Tristan Thompson was the most-searched athlete, and the Cleveland Cavaliers was the most-searched sports team.
"There's always tangential relations between the different search results," Burr noted.
See more of the top trends of the year at [google.com/2018](google.com/2018).
Cheddar News checks in on what to look for on The Day Ahead as President Joe Biden meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to look to resolve the debt ceiling debate. Earnings are also slated to be reported from companies including Airbnb, AMC Networks, Electronic Arts and Nintendo.
A study on the U.S. banking system found nearly 190 banks are at risk of failure. Preston D. Cherry, founder and president of Concurrent Financial Planning, joined Cheddar News to explain the process if you have a mortgage with a bank that collapses.
Americans have bet over $220 billion on sports with legal gambling outlets in the five years since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for all 50 states to offer it.
Melissa Brown, managing director of applied research with Qontigo, joined Cheddar News to discuss a new start to the trading week as the market edged lower in a mixed-performance day. Investors also await the meeting between President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to look to resolve its debt ceiling debate.
Bobbi Rebell, chief financial officer of Financial Wellness Strategies and author of Launching Financial Grownups: Live Your Richest Life by Helping Your (Almost) Adult Kids Become Everyday Money Smart, gives the top four reasons people struggle financially.
Warren Buffett criticized how regulators and lawmakers have handled recent bank failures and noted that the ongoing debt ceiling showdown will sow even more chaos.
Wall Street drifted to a mixed close ahead of a week full of reports on some of the market’s biggest worries, including how stubbornly high inflation remains across the economy.
