(BPT) – This year marked a time of change, innovation, trials and hope. But what was the most memorable moment of 2012? A great place to look is online searches, as they mark the people, places and events that mattered most in a given year.
According to Bing, everything from Hurricane Sandy, Kim Kardashian, the Olympics and Honey Boo Boo are among the top Internet searches that mark this year’s most important people, places and moments in time.
With the new year quickly approaching, it’s time to take a look back at 2012, and reflect on what captured America’s attention.
Most-searched people
* The top Bing searches for 2012 prove no one can keep up with the Kardashians. For the second time in three years, Kim K. earned the top spot as the most-searched-for person. But Kim wasn’t the only Kardashian to keep up with. This year Khloe Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian rounded out the top three most-searched reality stars.
* Girls ruled the world – or at least the top 10 – with Justin Bieber being the only male to break through as the second most-searched-for person. He also retained his title as the most-searched musician of the year, with on-again, off-again girlfriend Selena Gomez earning the fourth spot.
* Honey Boo Boo’s special juice did more than help her win a few toddler beauty pageants. Seven-year-old Alana, better known as Honey Boo Boo, captured the hearts and minds of America, showing up as the sixth most-searched reality TV star and seventh most-searched TV show.
* NFL veteran Peyton Manning had his most successful season yet as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, topping the list as the most-searched athlete in 2012.
* The battle for living rooms across America continues, and this year The Ellen Degeneres Show dominated daytime talk, while Good Morning America stole the top spot for morning talk show.
Most-searched news stories and celebrity events
* Speculation and release of the iPhone 5 earned the top spot as the most-searched-for news story of 2012. But that wasn’t the only technology to capture people’s attention as the new Kindle HD, Facebook IPO and Marissa Mayers’ move from Google to Yahoo also drove a large amount of searches.
* This year, Americans exercised their civic right to vote … and to search. The U.S. Elections was the second most-searched event of the year. From Big Bird to binders, people were riveted by the constant ups and downs of the campaign trail.
* The fanfare surrounding the London Olympics made it the third most-searched event. Olympic newcomer McKayla Maroney was among the top-searched Olympic athletes, along with gold medal veterans Michael Phelps and Serena Williams.
* A star has been born. The birth of Beyonce and Jay-Z’s first child, Blue Ivy Carter, was the celebrity event of the year while Chris Brown and Rihanna were the most searched celeb couple.
More notable number ones
* With Reality TV now one of the most popular genres on the small screen, it is no surprise that American Idol was the most-searched show for the second straight year, while Dancing with the Stars shimmied its way into the No. 2 spot.
* Facebook continued to dominate the world of social media, coming in at No. 1 as the most-searched-for social medium. Meanwhile, Twitter’s 140-character movement continued to grow, becoming the second most-searched social media site.
* With his crazy outfits, and even crazier dance moves, Psy’s international hit “Gangnam Style” came in as the most-searched song of the year, while Carley Rae Jepsen was second for her catchy tune, “Call Me Maybe.”
* Action packed and chock full of everyone’s favorite heroes, The Avengers wasn’t just a summer blockbuster; it was the most searched for movie of 2012.
These top Bing searches in 2012 provide a quick walk down memory lane. For more of this year’s online search trends, visit bingtrends.com.
