Google says Robin Williams’ suicide seared into the world's collective mindset more than anything else this year. (File photo: AFP)
Robin Williams’ suicide seizes the year on Google
It topped notable events such as the World Cup, the Ebola outbreak, the March disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight
Google says Robin Williams’ suicide seared into the world's collective mindset more than anything else this year.
The reaction to Williams' August death topped Google's list of 2014's fastest-rising search requests released Tuesday.
It topped notable events such as the World Cup, the Ebola outbreak, the March disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and the Ice Bucket Challenge, an Internet video craze to raise awareness and money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
Other topics included the addictive smartphone game “Flappy Bird,” bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst, the Middle East extremist group ISIS, the hit Disney movie “Frozen,” and the Winter Olympics in Russia.
Williams, Ebola, the World Cup and the Ice Bucket also ranked among the most-discussed subjects this year on Facebook, which released its list last week.
Meanwhile in the UAE, The 2014 World Cup, iPhone 6, Malaysian Airlines, Ramadan – written in Arabic- and Robin Williams featured in the top five trending queries. Trending movies saw “Frozen,” “Interstellar” and “Maleficent” in the top three. The top three searched individuals in the UAE were: Robin Williams, Sunanda Pushkar and Narendra Modi.
(With the Associated Press)
