When you’re forgetting the name of that actor from that one movie, or you’re looking for a particular dog video, or you forgot how to make your favorite dish, there’s one place to go to for answers: Google. This means that Google has the ability to track queries, topics, and everything under the sun.
It can essentially measure a year through searches — and it has. Through Google Trends, we’ve been able to get the top trending stories in the Philippines. Kirstin Wright, a Search Trend expert, explains it like this: “The 2018 Year in Search lists give us an insight into the things that captured the nation’s attention over the past 12 months – from major moments in news, sports and entertainment, through to the latest dance craze.”
Keep on reading to find out what captured the attention of Filipinos these past 12 months!
10. World Cup
This one’s a no-brainer. Of course one of the biggest sporting events of the year would rank on the top trending topics. With all its plot twists (Germany bowing out early, Spain’s defeat to Russia, Croatia’s amazing run to the Finals) this year’s World Cup had us on the edge of our seats.
Related: 10 of the Hottest FIFA 2018 World Cup Players That Turned My Friends into “Football Fans”
9. Perfect lyrics
Although Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” was a chart-topper with an immensely popular music video, it was also released in 2017. So the fact that this search topic ranks so high might be a bit confusing. Maybe we can just credit it with being a great song for Filipinos to sing along to, hence the lyrics.
Related: This Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé duet is just ‘Perfect’!
8. Summertime Saga
This Sims-style dating simulator made a splash by being braver with its content. The popularity in searches is probably due to its explicit nature and its marketing for mature audiences. The game follows a male protagonist as he investigates his father’s death, wades through school, and handles his relationships.
7. Meteor Garden 2018
The well-loved drama that was (most likely) part of many Filipinos’ childhoods made a comeback earlier this year. With a new Taiwanese cast and a Netflix premiere, the reboot was all fans could talk about. Add to that the fact that the original Meteor Garden was also added to Netflix’s list, then the hype is totally understandable.
Related: If Meteor Garden 2018 Were Set in the Philippines
6. Lotto results
The PCSO lotto monumentally reached around the amount of Php 1 billion. People were following the lotto results for months, in hopes of achieving the draw of a lifetime. According to a Reddit user, the chance was 1 in 40, 475, 350. That unbelievable chance was given to two people sometime in October, who split the jackpot at Php 590,311,254.00 each.
Related: That painful moment when you realize you almost won P900 MILLION in Ultra Lotto 6/58 but…
5. Rules of Survival
The second game on this list, Rules of Survival takes a very different route than Summertime Saga. This one is, as the name suggests, a survival game in the style of Battle Royale. Its developers claim to have reached 150 million online players worldwide. Its popularity makes sense if you take into account the rise of survival games this year, like “Rust” and “PUBG”.
4. Hayaan Mo Sila Lyrics
This might be the same search type as #9 (Perfect lyrics), but its place on the list makes a lot more sense. This year saw the rise of Filipino memes with Ex Batallion at the center of it all. Their song, “Hayaan Mo Sila”, was particularly popular — both ironically and unironically.
3. NBA Playoffs 2018
Just like it is every year, the NBA Playoffs were the most anticipated sporting event for Filipinos if the search results are anything to go by. These numbers would include people searching for schedules, results, predictions, and the like. The highest searched for teams, in relation to the playoffs, was first, the Golden State Warriors then the Houston Rockets.
Related: 13 Reasons Why Watching the NBA All-Star 2018 is a Dream Come True! (And Michael Jordan Was There!)
2. Hot Shot Gamers
So HotShotGamers is actually a hack for Rules of Survival. It is essentially a cheat tool for the game. It’s ironic how the query for this topic outranks the game itself, although it’s not very surprising for the Philippines.
1. MemoryHackers
And the most searched for topic in the Philippines, in all of 2018: MemoryHackers. Similar to #2, this is also a cheat tool for Rules of Survival. Maybe we can attribute its popularity to the fact that Rules of Survival is widely accessible and largely played.
So there are a few things we can gather from these results: Filipinos really love mobile games. They also like singing and getting the lyrics rights. Sports are a priority too!
What did you think of these trending topics? Are there any topics you’re surprised are not on this list? Let us know in the comments!
