Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
The festive holidays are approaching; we all look forward to spending time with our family and friends and if you are anything like me, usually end up reflecting on the year gone by….
Whilst writing this piece, I thought it would be a good idea to include a general review of the past 12 months. I searched the web for the usual ‘high’s and lows’ of 2012, memorable and significant moments which I’m sure many will write and encapsulate in forthcoming articles & blogs across the internet. I then came across the annual report from Google Zeitgeist ‘What did the world search for in 2012’, which to me is a great way to summarise the year!
The Google Zeitgeist report was interesting to say the least, based on 1.2 trillion searches, it covers 2012’s top 10 search trends including, Images, Athletes, TV Shows and Google+ Hashtogs to name a few.
The ‘top 10 global trending list for 2012’ is:
- Whitney Houston
- Gangnam Style
- Hurricane Sandy
- Ipad3
- Diablo 3
- Kate Middleton
- Olympics 2012
- Amanda Todd
- Michael Clarke Duncan
- BBB12 (Big Brother Brazil 2012)
Global Trending
This is quite a roundup of trending searches – those that made history, those that shocked and even a signature dance that took the world by storm! Google’s blog said ‘it’s the unusual and surprising that caught our attention in 2012’, they then go on to say “ It’s quite a snapshot of what makes us human: a blend of guilty pleasures and higher pursuits.”
To take things one step further and question why certain things trend, it is clear to state that people are social creatures and crave a sense of belonging to a group, seeking others and laying the foundation for potential trends to start, even if we are subconsciously aware that this is happening .
An interesting article, “Mirror Neurons for an “Exquisitely Social Species” elaborates on a concept which could help us understand the reasons behind the emergence of particular trends. The Mirror neuron hypothesis was presented to the world in 2004 by neuroscientists Gallese, Keysers & Rizzolatti; being described as “ A unifying neural hypothesis on how individuals understand the actions and emotions of others”…..” a system that enables humans and other social primates to simulate each other’s behaviour and internal states, thereby enabling learning, communication, and prediction of others’ actions.”
Curiosity gets the better of me and I now wonder what the next 12 months will have in store for us. What will the next wave of trends be? What will the world search for in 2013? I’m sure it will be another interesting mix!
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your loyalty and dedication in reading our blog posts and following the latest trends in Customer Experience over the past 12 months. We will endeavour to continue bringing you valuable research and insights on Customer Experience throughout 2013 and the coming years.
But for now, on behalf of the team at Beyond Philosophy, I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year!
The next blog will be posted on Thursday 3rd January 2013, so make sure you come back to read our latest thoughts and findings including Colin Shaw’s top predictions for 2013…
|
|
Joanna Kelly is Marketing Manager at Beyond Philosophy one of the world’s first organizations devoted to customer experience. Joanna specialises in Marketing Optimisation, Campaign Evaluation, Data Driven Strategies & Integrated Channel Marketing. Beyond Philosophy provide consulting, specialised research & training from offices in Atlanta, Georgia and London, England. |
