Burj Khalifa, Gulf News, Facebook & Dubizzle amongst top search queries
Who was the most-searched celebrity of 2010?
Which social network is the most popular in the UAE?
Were people searching Google for information about their financial situation or the outcome of their favorite reality show?
Dubai, UAE 09 December 2010: Google today announced its annual 2010 Zeitgeist, a unique perspective on the year's major events and hottest trends based on global searches, as well as searches conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The fastest rising search term in the UAE was the Burj Khalifa mirroring the launch of the world's tallest building. Social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube continue to gain popularity and websites that provide free sms services and VOIP fared well.
Commenting on the UAE Zeitgeist, Ari Kesisoglu, Regional Manager, Middle East North Africa stated, "The UAE results show that more users are using the Internet to obtain information that is relevant to them such as utility pill payment through DEWA bill and online banking. Searches for online services are on the uptake which underpins the need for businesses to be online catering to their customer requirements."
Interest in personalities saw teen-sensation Justin Bieber top searches in the UAE closely followed by Shakira and Lady Gaga. Placed fourth and fifth respectively were Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif. The top search on social network sites was Facebook.
The UAE Zeitgeist:
| Fastest Rising | Most Popular | Fastest Rising People | Most popular news site |
| 1. burj khalifa | 1. youtube | 1. justin bieber | 1. gulf news |
| 2. | 2. facebook | 2. shakira | 2. malayala manorama |
| 3. world cup 2010 | 3. yahoo mail | 3. lady gaga | 3. yahoo |
| 4. hotmail sign in | 4. hotmail | 4. salman khan | 4. bbc |
| 5. emirates nbd | 5. gmail | 5. katrina kaif | 5. khaleej times |
| 6. fantage | 6. gulf news | 6. | 6. times of india |
| 7. | 7. gamzer | 7. kim kardashian | 7. dinamalar |
| 8. gmail login | 8. malayala manorama | 8. miley cyrus | 8. bangladesh newspaper |
| 9. youtube video | 9. dubizzle | 9. manny pacquiao | 9. manorama news |
| 10. facebook login | 10. Air Arabia | 10. michael jackson | 10. cnn |
| Most Popular 'Discovery' | Fastest rising social network | Fastest rising online service |
| 1. what is love | 1. facebook english | 1. gulfnews jobs |
| 2. what is life | 2. hotmail | 2. emirates nbd |
| 3. wikipedia | 3. sms markaz | 3. reel cinema dubai |
| 4. what is internet | 4. youtube video | 4. dewa online |
| 5. dictionary | 5. picnik | 5. rediff money |
| 6. translate | 6. yahoo messenger | 6. dubizzle |
| 7. what is the weather | 7. facebook arabic | 7. emirates careers, |
| 8. what is marketing | 8. gmail | 8. mashreq bank online |
| 9. what is accounting | 9. skype | 9. etisalat online |
| 10. what is 3g | 10. way2sms | 10. rak bank |
In addition to telling us what people are curious about in the UAE, Google Zeitgeist tools also offer insight into which topics were of interest across the globe. The global results will be announced later today.
-Ends-
Zeitgeist Explained
Google reveals the internet "Zeitgeist" (German for "the spirit of the times") through an exploration of the billions of search queries we receive each year. In addition to the Year-end Zeitgeist, which highlights the top trends of 2010, we also have several tools that give insight into global, regional, past and present search trends. Google Zeitgeist tools can never be used to identify individual users because we rely on anonymized, aggregated counts of how often certain search queries occur over time. These tools are available year-round for you to play with, explore, and learn from.
About Google Inc.
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com
Media contact
Shaden Abdellatif
Shaden.Abdellatif@hillandknowlton.com
04 - 33 44930
© Press Release 2010
