How The World Searched in 2012 and A Little Analysis of Google Search Trends For The Past Five Years.

I recently saw a recut of this video for a television ad that I really loved and tried to find to share with you, but sadly, I could not locate the 60 second version of this (which I actually preferred to the original video), so I figured I may as well share the entire 2 minute and 46 second version with you:



Music: "All I Want" by Kodaline, Video production by Whirled Creative

Mark Lee from the blog Overthinking It did a little data analysis of his own regarding the past five years of Google's Zeitgeist (their year-end round up of search trends on Google) that I'd like to share with you. I've reprinted his findings, complete with his hypotheses and commentary below.

His first step was to compile the last 5 years of Google Zeitgeist Top 10 Trending Search Terms and assign each item to a category:


A few things to keep in mind regarding these lists:

• These are lists of top trending Google search terms, not highest volume Google search terms. Google defines “trending” as “search queries with the highest amount of traffic over a sustained period in 2012 as compared to 2011.” (Emphasis is his.) Hence the “flash-in-a-pan” nature of the more derided results like Rebecca Black and Chatroulette.

• These lists reflect worldwide Google activity. Remember that Google’s share of the web search market is not as dominating in some parts of the world as it is in the United States; China being the most notable example.

• He used his own taxonomy based on his intuitive understanding of the different phenomena presented in the results. For example, rather than lump both Whitney Houston and Rebecca Black into the “music” category, he put Whitney Houston and Steve Jobs together in the “celebrity death” category.

• Although Google Zeitgeist goes back to 2001, Lee only went back 5 years, partly because it’s a nice round number, partly because there was no year-end roundup for 2006, and partly because he wanted to limit the amount that changing search habits and demographics could skew the results.

Here’s what the data looks like when you aggregate across the years, by category:


All fine and good, but what we really want to see is if there are any changes in search interests over the past five years:



So what do we make of this? Here are a few possible takeaways according to Lee:

• TV and movies are surprisingly underrepresented. The sole TV entry in the Top 10 over five years is Big Brother Brazil 12, and the sole movie entry is Twilight: New Moon.This is consistent with the idea that our media landscape is more diverse and less mass-market than it was in the pre-internet age. That being said, I’m still surprised that not even Avatar made the list, perhaps due to the year-over-year comparison calculation that powers these results.

• Searches for various social media sites has steadily declined since 2008. Is it because people are using social media less? Far from it, if Facebook and Twitter’s statistics are to believed. Instead, it’s probably due to two things: 1) the growth of social media is slowing as Facebook approaches near-total saturation and 2) the growth of social media web searches is slowing as more people access them using smart phone apps instead of a web browser.

• Sports cracked the Top 10 only twice, both in Summer Olympics years (the Euro 2008 soccer tournament also made the list). Why less love for the Winter Olympics? It may have something to do with the lack of beach volleyball (and exposed skin in general). Just a wild guess.

• Celebrity deaths are a reliable source of spikes in Google search activity, but 2010 had no such searches make the top 10 list. He perused several awful slideshows of 2010 celebrity deaths (so you don’t have to), and reports with some confidence that no one of the iconic stature of Steve Jobs, Whitney Houston, or Michael Jackson left us in 2010. Not that iconic stature is the only requirement for making this list; Ryan Dunn of Jackass fame seems to have qualified based on the alignment of the circumstances of his death and his daredevil image.


To Lee, the biggest surprise in this exercise was the tailing off of social media searches. As a reminder, it’s not because the total volume is declining; it’s because the year-over-year growth in searches isn’t enough to get these terms into the top 10. Still, if his theories are right–that social media is approaching full saturation and that the usage of it is moving towards mobile devices–then we do have a finding that approaches the idea of a “zeitgeist” in the traditional sense of the term: “the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.” Social media–this potentially radical revolution in how humans interact with each other–not only became a “new normal” over the past five years, but is also undergoing a radical shift from the stationary computer screen to the mobile, always-on-you device. And if this radical reinvention of the radical reinvention isn’t reflective of the zeitgeist, Lee claims he doesn't know what is.

One last thought on the nature of Google Zeitgeist itself: Lee wondered if he was imbuing it with outsized importance by assuming that the Google Zeitgeist is more of a part of the popular imagination (the zeitgeist, if you will) than it actually is. To find out he asked none other than Google:

Over the last five years, Google Zeitgeist has remained a popular year-end search term, though not with any consistent growth or shrinkage in popularity:



That being said, it’s still dwarfed by other popular search terms like “iPad” or “Michael Jackson.” Even “lolcats,” a niche but once-hugely popular internet meme, has towered over Google Zeitgeist over the past 5 years:



Granted, the gap has narrowed recently as searches for “lolcats” has declined while “Google Zeitgeist’ remains more or less consistent, but the point should be clear: the Google Zeitgeist itself is far from a cultural juggernaut compared to the items it contains. It’s not surprising, but it does provide some needed perspective on the matter.

About Lee
Mark Lee is, depending on the day and the hour, a management consultant, a musician, a technologist, and one of the managing editors for Overthinking It. He is a devoted fan of the Terminator movies and Microsoft Excel. Follow him on Twitter: @goestotwelve.

Dubai's Own Little World... Literally.

The World, A series of man-made Private islands in Dubai representing the world map, created and developed by Nakheel was just finished last month.



Nakheel, one of the world's largest property developers, laid the final stone on the breakwater for The World on January 10, 2008. The last rock was one of 34 million tonnes of rock that were used to construct the 27 km breakwater which surrounds the 300 man-made islands that make up The World. The World team was on hand as the last rock was placed at 8:00am that morning by Director Hamza Mustafa.


Above: An actual aerial shot of the completed islands

This historic moment marked the completion of the first phase of one of Dubai's most talked about landmarks, which included land reclamation requiring 320 million cubic meters of sand dredged from the sea and the creation of the breakwater that surrounds the 9km wide and 7kms long island destination. The next phase involves handing over islands to developers for construction and building of infrastructure.

The Master plan:


from their own press release:

Last week the final stone on the breakwater for The World was placed and reclamation work was completed – exactly to schedule. With reclamation completed on time, Nakheel will be moving onto phase 2 of the development of The World. Islands are being handed over to individual developers who will shortly begin construction work on the individual islands. These islands are sold by invitation every year to carefully picked developers who will bring creative experiences to the island destination.

The World will become one of the most exclusive tourist destinations on the planet. From 2010 more than 40 luxury resorts will start to open. Different world class brands and names will offer fine dining, spas and luxury boutiques, idyllic vacation homes, spectacular marina, yacht and beach clubs and scuba diving, snorkeling and dive centres.

How big are these islands?
The islands will range from 150,000 square feet to 450,000 square feet in size, with the average island measuring approximately 300,000 square feet. The average distance between islands is 50-100 metres, with an average depth of water surrounding each island at 8-16 metres.

How much to buy an island?
Prices of islands on The World range between $10 million to $45 million approximately

Below are images of the dredging and creating of the islands:





Photos upon completion:

FACT SHEET

* The World involves the creation of over 300 man made islands that are designed to represent the world map
* The vision for The World project was provided by His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister and was officially released on September 21, 2003
* The islands will be built in the shape of the world map and consist of four protective breakwaters on the outer perimeters to provide shelter from long and cross-shore waves. The inner breakwaters will be a submerged reef and the outer breakwaters will be above water
* Located just off the coast of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, The World is located 4km off shore from a point halfway between Port Rashid and The Palm, Jumeirah
* Construction of The World commenced in September 2003, after many years of research. The project is scheduled to be completely raised from the sea in 2008.
* Investors will have the freedom to create their own personal vision on the islands for private or commercial use, whether it is for leisure, residential or tourist developments. The 300 islands will be offered for sale on a freehold basis to selected investors only
* Nakheel will hand over the islands to the investors once the land has been reclaimed in 2008.
* The World will measure approximately 9km in length and 7km in width. It will cover over 9,340,000 square metres, and will add 232 kilometres of beachfront to Dubai’s coastline.
* All of the islands will range from 150,000 sq feet to 450,000 sq feet in size, with the average island measuring approximately 300,000 square feet
* 326 million cubic metres of sand will be used to form the islands
* 32 million tons of rock will be used to construct the breakwater
* The islands prices range from US$ 10 million - 45 million
* The average distance between islands is 50-100 metres, with an average depth of water in the navigation channels of at least 5 metres
* The World will be a sophisticated network of islands - Nakheel will integrate a series of waterways, canals and lakes to enhance the overall design
* All 300 islands will only be accessible by marine or air transport, with world-class marinas to berth boats, yachts and cruise liners. 2 mainland marinas will service The World. 4 hub islands in The World will service the islands.
* Construction on The World is round-the-clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week
* The main Contractors for The World are Van Oord ACZ Marine Contractors Gulf FZE - Dubai who are responsible for land reclamation, dredging works and the breakwaters. This is the largest project Van Oord has undertaken in the region
* The jumbo trailers being used to build The World can handle 20-25 thousand cubic metres of sand at any one time and require a water depth of at least 12 metres to operate.

So what will life be like on these islands?
Here's a peek at one development underway, Coral island (accompanying description courtesy of Nakheel):



A hideaway of sea, sand and sky, Nakheel proudly brings you its first private island development within The World. Introducing Coral Island, an exclusive residential and resort sanctuary that elevates escape to an art.



Coral Island promises a one of a kind setting that creates the ideal hideaway for indulgent island living. Located in the North American quadrant of The World, the island is close to major transportation hubs and is only a 15-minute boat ride to and from Dubai’s mainland. Coral Island is a unique combination of absolute privacy and proximity to everything The World offers. Be part of an island community that is perfecting paradise. Overlook a pristine beach, enjoy five star amenities and visit a vibrant marina area providing indulgent comforts and conveniences. Exquisitely designed homes will be available for those seeking an island escape with private beachfronts in a secluded cove setting.



Coral Island offers visitors and residents a diverse range of pampering experiences and amenities designed to make the island a luxury escape.
Stroll the boardwalk and indulge at the island’s restaurants, beach club or many shops. Unwind on the private beach or with a delightful spa treatment.



Retreat to your incomparable beach home; enjoy the views, sounds and comforts of home. An island hideaway that invites you to escape to the good life.

Coral Island will take approximately three years to complete with a target date for residents to move in of 2010.



Nakheel is one of the world’s largest privately held real estate developers, and a key player in realising the vision of Dubai for the 21st century: creating a world class destination for living, business, and tourism.

Nakheel is developing an iconic portfolio of innovative landmark projects in Dubai across a range of sectors - residential, commercial, retail, and leisure. Nakheel’s developments spread across more than two billion sq ft of land, and its projects are projected to be worth US$60 billion. Upon completion Nakheel’s waterfront projects will have added more than 1000km of shoreline to Dubai’s coastline.

Nakheel’s portfolio currently includes The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali, The Palm Deira, The World, Waterfront, Jumeirah Islands, Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Park, Jumeirah Heights, The Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Al Furjan, International City, Dragon Mart Complex, Dubai Promenade, and Dubai Design Centre.

Nakheel is a key entity within Dubai World. Dubai World is one of the world’s largest holding companies and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Dubai government across five continents and more than 100 countries.
Further information can be found at www.nakheel.com.

Below are 2 videos about the World project from you tube. Both are older promotional videos.


For more information on pricing, size, design, construction, etc, read here.