If our Google searches are any indication, Canadians can’t remember the rules of curling or how to make scalloped potatoes, but we’re pretty obsessed with sports.
Google released its top trending searches of 2018 on Wednesday, revealing what people, events and other topics stood out this year from trillions of online searches.
The obvious theme of the year was sports. The top three trending searches were the World Cup, the 2018 Winter Olympics and the Humboldt Broncos.
Top Searches of 2018
- World Cup
- Winter Olympic Games
- Humboldt Broncos
- Anthony Bourdain
- Kate Spade
- Mac Miller
- Winnipeg Jets
- Black Panther
- Avicii
- Demi Lovato
A closer look at the precise wording of those searches offers a clearer idea of what Canadians were thinking.
According to Google Trends Expert Nicole Bell, we were specifically interested in Croatia’s journey to the World Cup finals, whether or not Canadian figure skaters Tessa Virtue and Scott were dating “in real life,†and how to help victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
Canadians
- Tessa Virtue
- Tristan Thompson
- William Nylander
- John Tavares
- Mark McMorris
- Patrick Brown
- Scott Moir
- Patrick Chan
- Jessica Mulroney
- Tony Clement
It also appears we have short-term memory loss when it comes to the rules of curling, with “How many ends are there in curling†popping up.
“But that’s a perennial thing we see in the Winter Games,†Bell said.
Google searches around cannabis were particularly surprising, Bell said. Canadians weren’t overwhelmingly searching for the rules around legal weed or where to buy cannabis in their province. Instead, Googlers seemed particularly interested in the financial side of pot, with several cannabis stocks hitting the radar.
Canadian News
- Humboldt Broncos
- Winnipeg Jets
- Ontario Election
- Canada Post Strike
- Cannabis
- Toronto Van Attack
- Danforth shooting
- WestJet Strike
- Bruce McArthur
- NB Power Outages
When it comes to celebrities, Canadians were interested in Demi Lovato, Cardi B and Freddy Mercury, all of whom made headlines in 2018—but not always for their music. Lovato suffered an overdose in August, Cardi B got in a shoe-throwing spat with rapper Nicki Minaj and Freddy Mercury was the subject of a new film.
“If they’re searching for a person’s name, it might not be that they’re fans, but that it’s, ‘Who is this person?’†Bell said.
Musicians and Bands
- Demi Lovato
- Freddie Mercury
- Cardi B
- 6ix9ine
- Travis Scott
- Hedley
- Childish Gambino
- Machine Gun Kelly
- Rick Ross
- Hubert Lenoir
And while his presence may seem ubiquitous in headlines and dinner conversation, Donald Trump’s name did not crack the list.
Bell said there’s good reason for the absence. Trump has been president for two years, and his search volume is already “very, very high.†The trending list highlights subjects that are outperforming this year, and it would be difficult for Trump to make a splash.
“Unless there was something crazy that happened where Donald Trump was getting searches more than he already is, it just means the level of interest in him is consistent,†Bell said.
But a few Trump-related searches made the list, including Stormy Daniels and U.S. midterm elections.
International News
- World Cup
- Winter Olympic Games
- Royal Wedding
- Florida Shooting
- Brett Kavanaugh
- U.S. Midterm Elections
- Hurricane Florence
- Hawaiian Volcano Eruption
- Hurricane Michael
- Thailand Cave Rescue
As for some of the stranger searches, Canadians were curious about the “snake diet,†which came sixth on the list of most searched nutrition/diet subjects.
For those curious, the snake diet is a form of fasting in which a person eats within a narrow one to two hour window. Proponents also drink something called “snake juice,†which is essentially a mix of water, Himalayan pink salt, baking soda, potassium chloride and Epsom salts.
Nutrition/Diets
- Keto Diet menu
- Dubrow diet
- Carnivore diet
- Scandi sense diet
- Lectin free diet
- Snake diet
- Fodmap diet chart
- Dr Gundry diet
- Fasting diet
- Emily Ratajkowski diet
But just because Canadians are Googling the snake diet doesn’t mean we’re all guzzling salty water, Bell said.
“It may be that they’ve heard about it somewhere … and they want to learn more about it,†she said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that people are going to adopt it.â€
Check out the rest of Google’s findings below.
Losses
- Anthony Bourdain
- Kate Spade
- Mac Miller
- Avicii
- Stephen Hawking
- Stan Lee
- XXXTentacion
- Aretha Franklin
- Burt Reynolds
- John McCain
People
- Demi Lovato
- Khloe Kardashian
- Hailey Baldwin
- Tessa Virtue
- Kawhi Leonard
- Logan Paul
- Tristan Thompson
- Stormy Daniels
- William Nylander
- John Tavares
How...
- How old is Prince Harry?
- How old is Dolly Parton?
- How old is Meghan Markle?
- How many medals does Canada have?
- How many ends in curling?
- How to buy ripple in Canada?
- How old is Justin Timberlake?
- How to delete Facebook?
- How to watch World Cup 2018 in Canada?
- How to buy bitcoin?
Why...
- Why is Canada Post on strike?
- Why is 6ix9ine going to jail?
- Why is Russia banned from the Winter Olympics 2018?
- Why do Greeks break plates?
- Why do dogs eat poop?
- Why was Meek Mill in prison?
- Why was Roseanne cancelled?
- Why did Ben Higgins & Lauren Bushnell break up?
- Why 420 Is Weed Day?
- Why are there no NHL players in the 2018 Winter Olympics?
Movies
- Black Panther
- Deadpool 2
- A Star is Born
- Venom
- A Quiet Place
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- Avengers Infinity War
- Incredibles 2
- The Nun
- Hereditary
TV Shows
- Altered Carbon
- Roseanne
- The Haunting of Hill House
- Fugueuse
- Lost in Space
- Big Brother
- Occupation Double
- Big Little Lies
- Peaky Blinders
- Sharp Objects
Recipes
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Beef Stroganoff
- Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken Thigh
- Meatloaf
- Brussel Sprout
- Shepherd's Pie
- Apple Crisps
- Chicken Cacciatore
- Macaroni and Cheese
Songs/Lyrics
- "Thank U, Next" - Ariana Grande
- "This is America" - Childish Gambino
- "Perfect" - Ed Sheeran
- "God's Plan" - Drake
- "In My Feelings" - Drake
- "Havana" - Camila Cabello
- "Killshot" - Eminem
- "Nice for What" - Drake
- "Shallow" - Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
- "Barbie Dreams" - Nicki Minaj
Consumer Tech
- Fortnite
- Bitcoin
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Fallout 76
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XR
- Tomb Raider
- Monster Hunter: World
- Far Cry 5
- God of War