Google's 2-Minute Video of the Top Searches of 2017 Is an Emotional Rollercoaster

It doesn't matter what you believe in or where you're from, 2017 was a tough year, and for better or worse, Google was there quietly observing it all in the background. On Wednesday, the search giant released its annual Year In Search data alongside a two-minute video summarizing the most popular searches conducted around the world over the last 11-plus months. It's a bit like sitting through the trailer for a movie you've already seen and would never recommend to anyone, yet it's an emotional rollercoaster that's well worth a watch.

2016's seeming a little rosy right now, huh?

In a year that witnessed what seemed like a disproportionate number of devastating natural disasters, it's fitting that Hurricane Irma topped the list of Global Searches. Also unsurprisingly, the much-buzzed-about iPhone X and iPhone 8 took the number two and three spots, respectively, followed by Matt Lauer, Meghan Markle, 13 Reasons Why, Tom Petty, fidget spinners, Chester Pennington, and the India National Cricket Team. Hurricane Irma was also number one in the Global News category, with Bitcoin, the Las Vegas shooting, North Korea, and the solar eclipse rounding out the top five.

At a glance, the biggest trends are not only a reminder of everything that's made this year seem like such a long slog, but also of the moments of levity that helped us keep our heads up through it all. The full Year In Review roundup includes top search breakdowns by country and is broken out into myriad search categories like musicians, memes, elections movies, songs, how-tos, and protests. If you're ready to look back, you can scope it all out at Google's official Year In Review hub.
 

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