Canada Separates From The Pack In Google's 2011 Zeitgeist

With the release of their yearly Zeitgeist, Google has collected an unimaginable amount of international data in 2011. The searches that are carried out through their engine offer a glimpse into what information the world really wants, for better or worse. While Canada does have a few similar names on their search lists, they have strayed from the rest of the world in quite a few instances. Here is a look at what really mattered in Canada in the 2011 year.

Video Games
Battlefield 3, one of the most popular first-person shooters that has ever been made, topped out as number 5 on the international list of fastest growing searches. Oddly enough, this game did not even make an appearance on the Canadian list. Instead, Canada's number 2 spot was given to another popular game, Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. This roleplaying game allows users to move through a vast world to battle dragons, create their own clothing, buy homes, get married, and countless other activities. In 2011, Canadians were looking for places to buy this game, watch trailers for it, and even find Skyrim-themed wallpaper.

Books and Movies
While the rest of the world focused on consumer electronic devices, such as the iPhone 5 and iPad 2, Canadian trends pushed towards George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones. This wildly popular fantasy book was recently turned into a miniseries that continued to break viewing records throughout the year. Game of Thrones held strong at the number 7 search position as it was garnering nearly 4 million searches per month. While most would think that there would be spikes in searches, such as when the show took home multiple Emmy awards, the searches stayed consistent throughout the entire year.

The Top Of The List
Both the number 1 and number 3 spots were handed over to national affairs going on within Canada itself. The 2011 Canadian census took home the leading search spot with searches quadrupling throughout August. Another national focus was on the post strike, which saw huge surges in attention throughout the year.

What Canada Had In Common With The Rest Of The World
That finally leaves some of the searches that coincided with global trends. Rebecca Black, the tween pop sensation, received quite a bit of Canadian attention throughout the year as residents searched for videos and news on this star. Coming in at the very middle of this list is Ryan Dunn. Dunn was a popular addition to the record breaking Jackass series and died in a car accident earlier this year.

List Toppers
While some of these searches may be surprising, Canada has shown that it is a victim of popular games, music, and movies, just like the rest of the world. Here is a final glimpse at some of the other list toppers that found their way into Canada's own corner of the Google Zeitgeist:

-Travel Destinations: Las Vegas
-Song: Someone Like You
-Recipe: Pork Tenderloin
-Movie: True Grit
-Image: Justin Beiber
-News: Japan Earthquake

George Stanzan loves talking insurance and that by nature, makes him boring; boring but informed. He now leads his life to inform the masses about the industry on things like the importance of commercial insurance and where to find auto insurance brokers.

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