What did Canadians Google the most in 2023?

One person is seen on the search engine Google. A company spokesperson said sports, once again, fueled Canadians' interest this year. The top trending search in the news and events category was the Women's World Cup, which included the Canadian Women's Team in Group B. Photo: Unsplash.

By Lucas Casaletto

Posted Dec 11, 2023 07:46:55 AM.

Last Updated Dec 12, 2023 12:42:33 AM.

Google has released the top trending search terms, questions and moments Canadians were most interested in this year, with the leading responses ranging from what happened to Kleenex, to the Titan submersible and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

A Google spokesperson said sports, once again, fuelled Canadians’ interest this year. The top trending search in the news and events category was the Women’s World Cup, which included the Canadian Women’s Team in Group B.

The tournament took place from July 20 to Aug. 20 and was jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Canada failed to advance to the qualification round, placing third behind Nigeria and Australia. Spain was crowned champion after defeating reigning European champion England in the final.

Israel-Hamas conflict

A Google spokesperson said Canadians took their questions further when it comes to the Israel-Hamas conflict, trying to understand “What is happening in Israel-Gaza?” and “Why is Israel-Hamas at war?”

“We searched to learn more about important international events, like the war in Israel and Gaza,” the spokesperson noted.

Israel has faced rising international outrage and calls for a permanent cease-fire after the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians. About 90 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced within the besieged territory.

This year, the war involving Israel and Hamas was first in the “Why” and “What” top trending searches.

Top trending ‘Why’ searches of 2023

1. Why is Israel-Hamas at war?
2. Why is Kleenex leaving Canada?
3. Why were teddy bears invented?
4. Why are people boycotting Starbucks?
5. Why do moose shed their antlers?
6. Why was Don Lemon fired?
7. Why is Gwyneth Paltrow in court?
8. Why is Twitter now X?
9. Why is the air quality bad today?
10. Why did Justin and Sophie separate?

You may wonder why Kleenex was the second-most searched “Why” topic. In August, the company announced its products would no longer be sold in Canada due to “complexities [in] the Kleenex business.” A factor in the decision involved Canadians opting for cheaper alternatives due to rising costs and inflation.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire’s separation, which made headlines worldwide, was also of interest to Canadians.

As for why, people cared about why teddy bears were invented and why moose shed their antlers, your guess is as good as mine, but that sure is Canadian of us.

Top trending ‘What’ searches of 2023

1. What is Hamas?
2. What is happening in Israel-Gaza?
3. What is quiet quitting?
4. What is the Willow Project?
5. What is Threads?
6. What is Oppenheimer about?
7. What is Temu?
8. What is femicide?
9. What killed Mickey Mouse?
10. What is Burning Man festival?

The term “quiet quitting” became a worldwide sensation, defined as doing the minimum requirements of one’s job and putting in no more time, effort or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary.

In the early 2020s, primarily driven by social media, quiet quitting emerged as a much-publicized trend in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Meta Platforms Inc., formerly Facebook Inc., launched Threads in 2023, intended to compete with Elon Musk’s X, previously Twitter. It is the fastest-growing consumer software application in history, gaining over 100 million users in its first five days.

Top ‘How’ searches of 2023

1. How deep is the Titanic?
2. How old was Elvis when he died?
3. How old is King Charles?
4. How long is the Barbie movie?
5. How many episodes in The Last of Us?
6. How much are Taylor Swift tickets?
7. How old is Lil Tay?
8. How many people died on the Titanic?
9. How old is Pamela Anderson?
10. How old is John Tory?

The Titanic found its way into the top “How” searches of 2023, presumably due to the tragic impact of the Titan submersible implosion in June.

Canadians were interested in the ages of several public figures, including Prince Charles III (he’s 75, by the way) and former Toronto Mayor John Tory (69).

“As always, Canadians continued to be tapped into pop culture – the top movies and shows demonstrate the diversity of our tastes and interests,” the Google spokesperson said.

*This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ryan Gosling, left, and Margot Robbie in a scene from “Barbie.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)*

Entertainment and the arts dominated Google searches and trends in 2023, notably the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, which shot Oppenheimer and Barbie into the number one and two spots of the top searched movies.

The Last of Us, a critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic drama television series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, was a popular search choice, too.

Top trending people of 2023

1. Jeremy Renner
2. Danny Masterson
3. Lil Tay
4. Tucker Carlson
5. Brendan Fraser
6. David Beckham
7. Pedro Pascal
8. Jenna Ortega
9. Bruce Willis
10. Jamie Foxx

Actor Jeremy Jenner was involved in a near-fatal accident on Jan. 1 and suffered blunt chest trauma and 30 broken bones from being hit and run over by his snowplow at home.

By Jan. 17, Renner was released from the hospital and had returned home to continue his recovery.

Top trending movies of 2023

1. Oppenheimer
2. Barbie
3. Sound of Freedom
4. Everything Everywhere All at Once
5. John Wick 4
6. The Menu
7. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
8. Killers of the Flower Moon
9. Cocaine Bear
10. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Top trending TV series of 2023

1. The Last of Us
2. Ginny & Georgia
3. Daisy Jones & The Six
4. Kaleidoscope
5. Queen Charlotte
6. That 90s Show
7. Beef
8. The Idol
9. The Fall of the House of Usher
10. One Piece

Finally, Canadians stayed busy Google searching various athletes. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was the top-trending athlete in 2023 after making a remarkable comeback following his on-field cardiac arrest on Jan. 2.

On Jan. 9, a week after being admitted to the hospital, Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

Unless you have been living under a rock, could anyone be surprised that Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce cracked this list?

Top trending athletes of 2023

1. Damar Hamlin
2. Connor Bedard
3. Travis Kelce
4. Adam Johnson
5. David Beckham
6. Ryan O’Reilly
7. Jon Jones
8. Patrick Kane
9. Bruce Boudreau
10. Kylian Mbappé

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