What Washington residents searched for the most on Google in 2016
Dec 29, 2016, 7:55 AM | Updated: 10:10 am
Washingtonians really are interested in Pokemon Go and the X-Files, according to their Google search habits. (AP)
(AP)
What did Washington state Google the most in 2016?
According to Google, Washingtonians were quite captivated by all the rage that was “Pokemon Go.” “Pokemon Go” was the most Googled term throughout 2016.
Best of 2016: Most popular stories, photos and more on MyNorthwest
But aside from walkabout smartphone games, it seems that Washington was very political over the past year. Election topics rounded out the top five most Googled terms.
The top five most Googled topics were:
• Pokemon Go
• Donald Trump
• Hillary Clinton
• Election
• Voting
The Puget Sound Business Journal reports that Pokemon Go was searched for 2,700 percent more in 2016 than the previous year. Trump was searched for 600 percent more in 2016 than in 2015, and Clinton was searched for 500 percent more.
Given the popularity of the game, and its Google ranking in the state, it’s probably pointless explaining what ”Pokemon Go” is. But for those who have been unplugged for the past year, “Pokemon Go” is a smartphone game that combines real life scenes with catching cartoon monsters. The game encourages users to walk around outside to track down the characters and catch them. It achieved massive popularity over the past year, and maybe even caused some problems.
Another angle on Washington’s Google habits
Looking at Google data in another way, the real estate blog Estately dove into the information to discover what Washington searched for more frequently than other states.
If you guessed something along the lines of “Why didn’t Bernie Sanders / Hillary Clinton win,” or “How to flee the country after the Trump election” or perhaps even, “How to be passive aggressive in Seattle,” you would be wrong.
If you guessed “X-Files reboot” however, you are correct. Washington was apparently more interested in the sci-fi cult TV show more than any other state in the union.
Side note: Estately is no stranger to looking through Google data. In May, it also looked into the question each state recently Googled more than others. For Washington, it was “Can Bernie win?” And when it comes to “How-to” questions that people type into Google’s search bar, as of October, Washington residents really want to know “How to survive an earthquake.”
MyNorthwest’s earthquake tracker.
Follow @https://twitter.com/DyerOxley
