The US Internet giant sifted billions of searches made this year by its hundreds of millions of users worldwide to identify trends regarding what piqued people's interest.<\/p>\n
The results were posted today at Yahoo's website under the banner of “Top Trends in Search in 2007"<\/p>\n
“It is really a barometer for what is interesting and relevant for the world,” Yahoo director of product marketing Raj Gossain said while discussing the findings with AFP.<\/p>\n
“We have a set of trends that identifies a culture that is really on the brink of change. There are a lot of inflection points that relate to the environment, politics, trade, and how they view celebrity."<\/p>\n
Information about fallen Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein and the Middle East was the most sought-after news followed by oil prices and the activities of US President George W. Bush.<\/p>\n
“People were checking the status of the war and we've seen more and more searches on exit strategies,” said Yahoo senior news editor Vera Chan.<\/p>\n
“People are monitoring the situation in Iran, the nuclear program and worries of further military confrontations."<\/p>\n
Product recalls proved to be hot topics, with queries logged regarding problems with pet food, toys, and even peanut butter.<\/p>\n
Internet searches revealed a hunger for knowledge about global warming and ways to do something about it, according to Gossain.<\/p>\n
Recycling, hybrid cars, solar energy, and former US vice president Al Gore, who shared a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his battle against global warming, were among top “green” searches for the year.<\/p>\n
“These queries indicate a desire for people to take action,” Gossain said. “The issue has clearly gone into the public consciousness."<\/p>\n
The Internet was rife, as usual, with searches for information on celebrities. This year the focus was on stars whose lives were troubled or tragic.<\/p>\n
Queries about pop singer Britney Spears topped the list, followed in succession by those about celebrity brat Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith, a former Playboy centrefold found dead in a Florida hotel room in February.<\/p>\n
“These stories are our pop culture Greek tragedy,” Chan said of celebrity sagas.<\/p>\n
“We've seen in the past couple of years there is a circuit celebrities travel. You go on some kind of spree, apologise and check into rehab. This year it seems the stakes were much higher."<\/p>\n
Internet searches were also enthralled with “final farewells,” the top one being for fictional boy wizard Harry Potter.<\/p>\n
The last of in the series of Potter books by author J.K. Rowling was released this year.<\/p>\n
The Internet was also scoured for information about the finale of the cable television series “The Sopranos” and the death of Marvel Comic cartoon hero “Captain America."<\/p>\n
Video-sharing website YouTube, online encyclopedia Wikipedia and online social-networking locale Facebook led the pack in technology searches, followed by an Apple Inc. triad of iTunes, iPod and iPhone, according to Yahoo.<\/p>\n
Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and Sony's Playstation 3 video game consoles landed in the top ten technology searches, along with the music-playing video game “Guitar Hero."<\/p>\n
Global warming joined animals, games, dinosaurs and homework subjects in the top ten Yahoo searches by children.<\/p>\n
"2007 seems to be a year when we are at a crossroads and change is going to come in personal lives and on the global stage,” Chan said.<\/p>\n