A look back at the 12 months of collective trending searches on Google Malaysia to shed light on the unique trending searches of the year

By S BIRRUNTHA / Pic By MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

AS WE wrap up the year, Google LLC has revealed its annual Malaysian Year in Search — a look back at the 12 months of collective trending searches on Google Malaysia to shed light on the unique trending searches of 2019.

Taking the first spot in the trending search category was the Earth Day Quiz, where Google assigned quiz takers an animal they were most alike based on their responses to a series of questions.

Marvel’s principled, genocidal villain Thanos was revealed as the second most top searched term on Google, in which the character’s iconic lines and extreme ways inspired some of the best merchandise and memes alike.

Coming in third was “Bantuan Sara Hidup”, the government-funded living aid which sent curious and hopeful Malaysians looking up to see if their funds had come in.

Google Malaysia communications manager Nadia Khan said as the nation is inclined towards digital medium, Malaysians continue to turn to Google Search for some of their most pressing questions.

“Just as how it helps us explore and discover a world of information, Search also gives us many ways to learn more about the past year.

“The Year in Search reflected topics that are truly unique to 2019, and it encapsulated Malaysians’ collective imagination to form a montage of what was top of mind for all of us,” she said at the Google Malaysia’s Top Most Searched Terms reveal event in Kuala Lumpur (KL) yesterday.

The fourth most searched term was soccer tournament “Copa America 2019”, where supporters mostly search for their host nation Brazil that took home its 9th winning title.

Air Pollutant Index of Malaysia came in fifth following the haze that enshrouded large parts of Sarawak, KL, Selangor, Penang, Negri Sembilan and Pahang.

Islamic prayer times was the next most searched term followed by Joker, and superhero movie favou- rites — “Captain Marvel” and “Avengers: Endgame”.

The Perodua Aruz SUV launched early this year also made its way into the list of top 10 trending searches.

Meanwhile, for the trending individual category, Indonesian actress and songstress Vanessa Angel was in the first place, coming into the limelight from a recent scandal.

Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali came in second as talks about the prime minister’s next successor intensified.

While the third on the trending individual list was Emma Maembong after some of her life choices became heavily talked about by fans and critics.

A drunken brawl in Singapore put celebrity Aliff Aziz next up on the list, while K-Pop star Jung Joon-young came in fifth for illicit sexual misconducts.

Rounding off the top 10 tren- ding people of 2019 was actor and model Ben Amir, singer and songwriter Seungri, TV entertainer Jacqueline Wong, senior private secretary to deputy primary industries minister Haziq Aziz, and Pencetus Ummah contestant Abu Sufyan.

According to Google, the compilation of trending searches was drawn from Google Search tools that offer insights into which topics captured the entire world’s attention in 2019.

It is also to identify and showcase an overall review of what people were curious about in Malaysia.