Perusing Google's annual Year in Search report is an emotional roller coaster.
The internet giant revealed its top trending searches of 2021, which reads as as a catalogue of some of this year's most important cultural moments.
In general searches, queries for keywords including "AMC Stock," "Stimulus Check" and "Squid Game" spiked, while trending celebrities included Travis Scott, Alec Baldwin, and Pete Davidson (why?!).
As for newsier items, "Kyle Rittenhouse verdict," "Georgia Senate Race," "Dogecoin," and "Ethereum price" were among the platform's most popular searches, indicative of the weight both politics and the metaverse held this year.
There were some more lighthearted findings, too: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were 2021's top trending celebrity couple (KK and Pete Davidson came in at number three), Bernie Sanders's mittens was this year's top trending meme, and apparently, lots of people searched "How to be a baddie."
In style, searches for "Gen Z fashion," "Cottagecore outfits," and "Y2K" — an aesthetic that's taking luxury fashion by storm — were particularly hot.
And, of course, Adam Sandler's outfits overtook even Britney Spears and Harry Styles in search popularity.
Slightly depressing indicators of the state of the world (or at least America), searches for "How to buy a house with no money," "How to help teenager with depression," and "How to be happy with yourself" also surged.
And, as any good report reveals, there were some wild cards: "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga, "How to pronounce quinoa," and "What causes hiccups" are among 2021's weirder searches.
Here's to a better 2022?
