Statistics show that convicted serial rapist and murderer, Thabo Bester, topped the charts for most-searched person in SA. Picture: Screenshot/Newzroom Afrika
Giant search engine, Google, revealed the South African results of its 2023 Year In Search trends, revealing the terms, people, topics, questions and events that captured the attention of the public in the past 12 months.
The annual discovery, called Year in Search, highlights the most popular lists and things that people search for to see, learn and do online.
The South African statistics for this year show that people are more interested in technology, celebrities, notable days, notable persons who have passed away and sporting events.
More than any other sporting event this year, South Africans were watching the rugby and cricket World Cups. The most frequently selected athletes on the list were the Springboks.
The Rugby World Cup and Inter Miami, which ranked second and third on the rankings, respectively, also attracted a lot of attention.
In the search for “loss”, “rapper”, “producer” and “businessman”, Kiernan Forbes, better known by his stage name AKA, came up top among the public figures and celebrities who passed away this year.
All people who died this year topped the “loss” search list. Costantinos Tsobanoglou, better known as Costa Titch, a South African rapper, was the second most sought individual in this category.
After conquering the box office worldwide, “Barbie” soared to the top of South Africa’s most searched movies and TV shows, followed by the epic biographical thriller film “Oppenheimer“ and the gripping series ”Shaka Ilembe“.
Thabo Bester, a convicted rapist, and DJ Cyan Boujee were the top-two most sought personalities in the country, with both appearing in headlines multiple times in the previous year.
While South Africans were keen to learn the dates of upcoming events, such as Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and the Rugby World Cup final, their web searches revealed a variety of interests, such as literary comparisons and health concerns.
The top-two general queries that South Africans were looking for solutions to were “How is poetry different from other writing genres?” and “How are mumps spread?”
Interestingly, the most searched general question this year concerned Celine Dion’s well-being.
The Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za