Most Googled 2014: The people you searched for more than Isis this year will surprise you
You won't be expecting some of the names the British public most typed after the phrase “Who is…?” into the search engine
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.It’s that time of year once again, yes for festive merriment, but also for Google to round up its biggest searches of the year.
And the UK results may surprise and disappoint you in equal measure. Street artist Banksy was the person the British public most typed the words “Who is” about. He was rumoured to have been arrested earlier this year, but is still very much a free man, presumably with a spray can not far from hand.
In second place in the “Who is…?” search was Celebrity Big Brother’s Frenchy, real name Angelique Morgan. In third came Dappy, the N-Dubz singer who was given a suspended jail sentence in November after being found guilty of for assaulting a man while still on a suspended sentence for a previous incident in Guildford.
These illustrious three come before a desire to know who more about Hamas (4), Sia (5), Ultron (6) and Isis (7). Yes, people wanted to know who Dappy was over the most powerful and effective extreme jihadi group in the world, responsible for numerous beheadings and untold scales of violence and suffering.
Also in the Top 10 featured US pop band R5 (8) and Sixties supermodel Twiggy (who could have been Twiggy Garcia, the man who attempted a citizen's arrest on Tony Blair earlier this year. It's difficult to tell) (9).
At number 10 is 15-year-old YouTube phenomenon Lohanthony (10), real name Anthony Quintal, whose most popular film is called “Calling all the basic bitches”.
Beyoncé topped the list of the most searched female celebrities, followed by Jennifer Lawrence, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, while Ed Sheeran was the most searched for male celebrity.
Jay Z came second, trailed by Harry Styles, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Beckham.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments