Johannesburg – The world's most popular search engine, Google, has revealed everything you need to know about what South Africans have been up to in their search queries in 2022.
Google’s Year in Search reveals that during this year characterised by increased load shedding, a war in Ukraine, a football World Cup, and the deaths of a number of prominent South Africans, the public turned to Google for more information.
For the second year in a row, the top trending search term in South Africa related to social grants as South Africans sought to find out more about the R350 SASSA Social Relief (SRD) grant.
When it comes to the people South Africans searched, American rapper Jaden Smith topped the list, followed in second place by his father Will Smith, who was searched alongside Chris Rock following the controversial slapping incident at the Oscars.
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard occupied third and fourth places after their protracted and public court case.
It was a sad year for the entertainment industry in South Africa, with a number of high-profile deaths.
The death of beloved rapper Riky Rick was the most searched loss. South Africans also turned to Google to find out more following the deaths of musicians DJ Sumbody, Takeoff, and DJ Dimplez.
“Big Brother Mzansi” was the most searched for TV show or movie in South Africa, with the Addams Family adaptation “Wednesday” following in second place. “Black Panther 2” and “Wakanda Forever” both feature in the top 10 trending searches for TV shows and movies.
It is no secret that South Africa is a sports-loving nation, and the 2022 Year in Search results encapsulate this perfectly.
Football occupies the top three searches, with World Cup 2022 fixtures as the top trending sports search, followed by Afcon and South Africa’s women’s football team Banyana Banyana.
The rest of the top 10 also features searches for tennis (the Australian Open), rugby (Springboks vs. All Blacks), and cricket (South Africa vs. India).
Citizens' curiosity remained high, with a variety of questions about climate change, current events, and pop culture being searched.
Some of these searches included "What is global warming?" "What is drought?" "Who is the new Black Panther?" and “How to check matric results online”.
Wordle, the online word game that captured the world’s attention, was the second most searched term, followed by climate change. Other top trending searches were related to the war in Ukraine, load shedding, typhoid fever, and monkeypox.
Country Director for Google South Africa Dr. Alistair Mokoena commented: "The annual Year in Search results are a good example of Google’s commitment to organising the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful, in action. This year’s results show that Google is a trusted source of information when South Africans are uncertain, sad, or looking for ways to learn more or entertain themselves."
The Star