Artificial Intelligence (AI) may have taken over in the last few years but old is always gold. For many, Google is still their go-to search engine. ChatGPT does aid us in many ways but the good old Google has never been forgotten. The search giant recently revealed its annual “Year in Search” results for 2023. And there were quite a few surprises in there. Google observed people’s ‘search behaviour’ and encapsulated the top-most trending lists across various categories.
While you have been Googling all year, the tech giant has wrapped up the most-searched personalities from 2023. Between the “Barbenheimer” movie releases, Taylor Swift’s budding romance with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, the Titan submersible implosion in June and Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin’s “near-death cardiac arrest” on the football field, Google has the entire year summarized by what the users searched.
Some of the findings were actually surprising, such as the fact that Time Magazine’s 2023 Person of the Year, Taylor Swift, didn’t make the top 5 musicians, while her boyfriend made it the top 5 most-searched people list. On the other hand, Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo did not show up under the ‘Athletes’ category. When it came to India, actress Kiara Advani topped the ‘most Google searches’ list and Shubman Gill was the only cricketer to make it to the Top 10.
Also Read: Synopsis Of YouTube Trends In 2023
The Global List
The person who garnered the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2023 was…*drumroll*… Damar Hamlin. Some Googlers might have to re-Google that name. He is an American football safety for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). The player made international headlines early this year when he suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on-field during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, 2023. Hamlin recovered and returned to NFL play in August.
Coming in second is Jeremy Renner, who had a serious health incident of his own when he was run over by a snowplough just the day before Hamlin. At #3 we have Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end who witnessed the force of the Swifties when he started dating the massively popular Taylor Swift. The pop singer did not make it to the Top 10 musicians but then again, who doesn’t already know her? Swift’s Eras Tour was the most-searched tour, though.
Jason Aldean, on the other hand, was long a country music favourite who blew up when his controversial single “Try That in a Small Town” made headlines last May and was denounced by many as racist and reactionary. He topped Google’s “Musician” category. Ice Spice, who appeared in a video with Swift last May, came in at #2.
Jeremy Renner topped the “Actors” category, followed by Jenna Ortega given her famous portrayal of Wednesday Addams in the Netflix show. In the “Passings” category, Matthew Perry saw the highest spike in traffic after his tragic death at 54 in October. In the “Movies” category, Barbie beat out Oppenheimer for the #1 spot, and The Last of Us was tops in the “TV Shows” category.
Let’s take you through the varied categories under ‘most-searched’ on Google in 2023:
People
- Damar Hamlin.
- Jeremy Renner.
- Andrew Tate.
- Kylian Mbappé.
- Travis Kelce.
Passings
- Matthew Perry.
- Tina Turner.
- Sinéad O’Connor.
- Ken Block.
- Jerry Springer.
Actors
- Jeremy Renner.
- Jenna Ortega.
- 市川 猿之助 (Ichikawa Ennosuke IV).
- Danny Masterson.
- Pedro Pascal.
Athletes
- Damar Hamlin.
- Kylian Mbappé.
- Travis Kelce.
- Ja Morant.
- Harry Kane.
Musicians
- Shakira.
- Jason Aldean.
- Joe Jonas.
- Smash Mouth.
- Peppino di Capri.
The India List
Kiara Advani emerged on the top in the list of most Googled people in India, the company revealed in its “Year in Search 2023” analysis. She “also found a spot in the top trending global actors list,” Google stated in a release. Her actor-husband Sidharth Malhotra ranked sixth on the list. The “Shershah” couple had tied the knot in February.
The second spot on the India list was bagged by batsman Shubman Gill. While Indian-origin New Zealand cricketer Rachin Ravindra ranked third given his stellar showing at the recently-concluded Cricket World Cup for New Zealand. What was surprising was that out of the 5 cricketers who made it to the Top 10 list of the most-searched athletes in 2023, Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, or the legendary duo of MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar either.
1) Kiara Advani
Bollywood actress Kiara Advani, who has worked in films like “MS Dhoni: The Untold Story,” “Shershaah,” and “Satyaprem ki Katha,” blew up on the internet at the beginning of 2023 when she tied the knot with actor Sidharth Malhotra. Her wedding lehenga, jewellery, venue, and reception were all anyone on the internet could talk about.
2) Shubman Gill
This young cricketer from India is the world’s #1 ODI batsman. 2023 was quite an eventful year for Gill, who is also known as the ‘Prince of Cricket.’ He plays for the IPL team Gujarat Titans and ended up being the league’s highest run scorer for the year. He voiced the Indian Spider-Man in the film “Spider-Man: Across the Multiverse.” Gill also played his debut ODI Men’s World Cup tournament in 2023, which was hosted in India.
Rachin Ravindra is an Indian-origin cricket player who plays for the New Zealand national cricket team. Ravindra made his World Cup debut with the ODI World Cup 2023, held in India. The young cricketer went viral on the internet for his smashing performance in the tournament, leaving behind many cricketing icons. He broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record by scoring the most runs in a single edition before turning 25.
Mohammed Shami plays for the Indian cricket team, and he is undoubtedly one of the best and most lethal fast bowlers in the world. This 33-year-old seamer dominated the 2023 World Cup, taking 24 wickets in 7 matches and smashing and creating multiple records. He became the highest wicket-taker of the tournament and the 3rd overall; he is the first Indian bowler to have the most five-wicket hauls in ODI history; the first to have a seven-wicket haul in a WC qualifier match; and more.
5) Elvish Yadav
Elvish Yadav is an Indian YouTuber and singer who occupies the 5th spot on the most searched people’s list of 2023. This year, he got a wildcard entry into the Indian reality show Bigg Boss, hosted by Salman Khan. Yadav entered the competition late, but he emerged as the season’s winner, which chartered off his popularity.
6) Sidharth Malhotra
One of the most handsome men in Bollywood, Sidharth Malhotra got married to actress Kiara Advani in a lavish wedding in February. The newlywed couple was the talk of the internet town for months.
7) Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell is an Australian batsman who, in the 2023 World Cup, won hearts and broke records by scoring a double-century in a match against Afghanistan. He blew up on the internet not only for winning a losing match but also because of his perseverance and dedication to the sport of cricket.
8) David Beckham
Whether you’re a football fan or not, you are bound to crush over The David Beckham. The English football or soccer player was recently on a tour of India and was seen in the ODI World Cup final match between India and Australia, in Mumbai. He was also seen playing cricket with children and meeting a bunch of content creators.
9) Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav is an Indian batsman. Sky plays for the IPL team Mumbai Indians and was the eighth-highest run scorer in the league. He is called Mr. 3600 because of his explosive batting style and ability to hit multiple boundaries. He made his ODI World Cup debut in the 2023 tournament. Surya was also named the captain of the Indian T20I cricket team for a bilateral series with Australia. His captaincy and batting led India to victory, and he is currently the No. 1 T20 batter in the world.
10) Travis Head
Travis Head is an opening batsman who plays for the Australian cricket team. Head made headlines for his stellar performance in the 2023 World Cup. His score of 137 runs against India in the WC final led Australia to win their sixth World Cup championship title.
This year’s ‘search’ toppers were a mix of the expected and the unexpected. Did you also search for any of the above-mentioned personalities? Let us know in the comments below.
