Google has released its annual Malaysian Year in Search, a look back at 12-months of collective trending searches on Google Malaysia to shed light on the unique trending searches of 2019. From the news to individuals, to pop culture and more, Google Malaysia’s 2019 Year in Search captures the nation’s curiosity zeitgeist in a few top 10 lists.
Taking the top spot this year in Trending Searches is ‘Earth Day Quiz’, a fun quiz by Google coinciding with Earth Day that assigns quiz-takers an animal they’re most alike based on their responses to a series of questions, such as their preferred activity on a Friday night to their preferred snack. ‘Thanos’, Marvel’s principled genocidal villain comes in second as the character’s iconic lines and extreme ways inspire some of the best merchandise and memes alike.
Coming in third is ‘Bantuan Sara Hidup’, the government-funded living aid which sent hopeful Malaysians looking up to see if their funds had come in. Next on the list is the soccer tournament ‘Copa America 2019’. Now into its 46th edition, host nation Brazil took home its 9th winning title, much to the joy of local supporters.
In fifth place is the ‘Air Pollutant Index of Malaysia’ (APIMS) in light of the haze which enshrouded large parts of Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang. ‘Islamic prayer times’ was the next most searched term followed by ‘Joker’, and then by superhero movie favourites – ‘Captain Marvel’ and ‘Avengers Endgame’. The SUV ‘Perodua Aruz’ launched early this year also squeezed its way into the list of top 10 trending searches.
Meanwhile, the number one trending individual goes to Indonesian actress and songstress ‘Vanessa Angel’, coming into the limelight from a recent scandal. Minister of Economic Affairs and Deputy President of Parti Keadilan Rakyat ‘Azmin Ali’ came in second as talks about the Prime Minister’s next successor intensifies. Third on the list is ‘Emma Maembong’ after some of her life choices became heavily talked about by fans and critics. A drunken brawl in Singapore puts ‘Aliff Aziz’ next up on the list while ‘Jung Joon Young’ rings in fifth for illicit sexual misconducts.
Rounding off the top 10 trending people of 2019 are: actor and model ‘Ben Amir’, singer and songwriter ‘Seungri’, TV entertainer‘??? (Jacqueline Wong)’, senior private secretary to Deputy Primary Industries Minister ‘Haziq Aziz’ and Pencetus Ummah contestant, ‘Abu Sufyan’.
“Malaysians continue to turn to Search for some of their most pressing questions. Just as how it helps us explore and discover a world of information, Search also gave us many ways to learn more about the past year. The Year in Search reflects topics that are truly unique to 2019, and it encapsulates Malaysians’ collective imagination to form a montage of what were top of mind for all of us,” said Nadia Khan, Communications Manager of Consumer Products, Google Malaysia.
Trending Searches of 2019 | Trending People of 2019 | Trending News Topics |
1. Earth Day Quiz
2. Thanos 3. BSH (Bantuan Sara Hidup) 4. Copa America 2019 5. APIMS (Air Pollutant Index of Malaysia) 6. Islamic Prayer Times 7. Joker 8. Captain Marvel 9. Avengers Endgame 10. Perodua Aruz |
1. Vanessa Angel
2. Azmin Ali 3. Emma Maembong 4. Aliff Aziz 5. Jung Joon Young 6. Ben Amir 7. Seungri 8. ??? (Jacqueline Wong) 9. Haziq Aziz 10. PU Abu |
1. IPU
2. Tanjung Piai 3. Belanjawan 2020 4. The Alley 5. Harga Minyak Petrol 6. Area 51 7. Christchurch 8. Hong Kong Protest 9. Acap Hilang 10. Pasir Gudang |
Other Trending searches of note:
Trending Movies | Trending Television Series | Trending Music |
1. Joker
2. Captain Marvel 3. Avengers Endgame 4. Alita Battle Angel 5. Shazam 6. Frozen 2 7. Aladdin 8. John Wick 3 9. Aquaman 10. IT Chapter 2 |
1. Setelah Terlafaznya Akad
2. Nur 2 3. Curi Curi Cinta 4. ?? ?? (Big White Duel) 5. ?? ? ?? ? (Go Go Squid!) 6. Hotel de Luna 7. ?? ? ?? ? (The Man Who Kills Troubles) 8. Kerana Dia Manusia Biasa 9. ?? ?? (The King’s Avatar) 10. Cemburu Seorang Perempuan |
1. Senorita (Shawn Mendes, Camilla Cabello)
2. Mimpi (K-Clique) 3. Memories (Maroon 5) 4. Kill this love (Blackpink) 5. 7 rings (Ariana Grande) 6. A whole new world (ZAYN, Zhavia Ward) 7. Someone you loved (Lewis Capaldi) 8. Cinta luar biasa (Andmesh Kamaleng) 9. ?? ? (Rare Words – Chen Ke Yu) 10. Sumpah (Naim Daniel) |
In addition to showcasing what people were curious about in Malaysia, Google Search tools also offer insights into which topics captured the entire world’s attention in 2019. Visit here to explore the rest of this year’s Year in Search stories and top trending charts from Malaysia and around the world.