2007 Year-End Zeitgeist

We're bidding adieu to 2007 with a look back at the breaking news, the big events and the must-have gadgets that captivated us this year (give or take a few weeks; we compile this list by early December). To get a glimpse of what's been on our collective consciousness, we mined billions of search queries to discover what sorts of things rose to the top. We encourage you to check out our findings to see if you, too, reflect the zeitgeist — the spirit of the times.

Fast Gainers by Quarter (U.S.)

Fastest Rising (global)

  1. iphone
  2. badoo
  3. facebook
  4. dailymotion
  5. webkinz
  6. youtube
  7. ebuddy
  8. second life
  9. hi5
  10. club penguin

Fastest Rising (U.S.)

  1. iphone
  2. webkinz
  3. tmz
  4. transformers
  5. youtube
  6. club penguin
  7. myspace
  8. heroes
  9. facebook
  10. anna nicole smith

Fastest Falling (global)

  1. world cup*
  2. mozart
  3. fifa
  4. rebelde*
  5. kazaa
  6. xanga
  7. webdetente
  8. sudoku
  9. shakira
  10. mp3
*featured in our 2006 fastest-rising list

Methodology

In compiling the 2007 Year-End Zeitgeist, we studied the aggregation of billions of search queries people conducted on Google. We should note that no individual searcher's information was made available to us. Except where noted, all of these search terms are most popular for Google.com in the U.S.