As baffled as I was by the popularity of Jared Leto’s Instagram account or Pharell’s hat, there was one category of searches that caught my attention because it provides an insightful look on how the world is changing: technology.
Technology has never been so embedded into our culture and 2014’s most searched topics say a lot about us and what we can expect our future to look like. Love it or hate it, our lifestyles will be more digital than ever going forward and our Google searches not only prove it, they also predict the future.
Two Major Google Trends that Possibly Predict the Future:
Mobile Technology is Expanding
The phrase “Add Reminder” became a trending topic earlier this year when we realized a smartphone could easily manage our day-to-day tasks. Whether it’s to remind ourselves to pick up the kids from soccer practice or to buy our spouse an anniversary present; having a smartphone to remind us about it has never been easier. Despite five of the top 100 searches being about smartphones, they aren’t the only mobile device we’re interested in. The often controversial technologies of wearables and drones also began to emerge as we searched for ways to measure our movement, monitor our heart rate, keep track of sleeping patterns, and even travel via guided virtual tours. For those of us who didn’t try these technologies first-hand, we searched for ways people were using them – most notably with a GoPro.
Among the trending GoPro videos in 2014 are:
- Shark
- Superman
- Lion
- Volcano
- Pelican
This year made it apparent that wearables and drones aren’t just fads and we can only expect these technologies to grow as their functionality expands into other electronics.
Science Fiction is Becoming Reality
It’s been 25 years since we saw Marty McFly take flight on his hoverboard, but that didn’t stop us from falling prey to a hoax. As much as we wanted that hoverboard commercial featuring Tony Hawk to be real, Google informed us all that it was, indeed, fake. But the story doesn’t end there. As Kickstarter became the most searched crowdfunding platform in 2014, so did the products that were launched through it – including an actual hoverboard (yes!) last October. Apparently, many of us are willing to pay people to turn the gadgets of our dreams into reality no matter how crazy they seem.
Among the searches for ideas that haven’t happened yet:
- Time Machine
- Jetpack
- Replicator
- Flying Car
- Teleporter
This list may seem a little far-fetched but so did virtual reality at one point. Now that we have Oculus Rift – a Kickstarter project in its own right — we’re now searching for more information about it. Interest in the VR headset reached epic proportions in 2014 and Google searches surged threefold when Oculus was bought by Facebook in February — prompting several other VR projects to launch on Kickstarter. Kickstarter wasn’t just about crazy inventions though and we all got a chuckle from Zack Brown’s request for $10 to help him make a potato salad. The phrase ‘potato salad kickstarter’ ended up becoming so popular that it became the year’s largest search trend around crowdfunding. It also allowed Zack to secure $55,000 in funding for his potato salad. Zack never made us that potato salad, but instead used the money we gave him to help reduce homelessness in his local area. And while feeding the needy may not seem like a technology trend, it was all made possible because of it.
Can Google Searches Really Predict the Future?
We can’t be certain our Google searches will predict anything except that we’re a curious bunch. And while some of us will probably think none of these technologies will ever happen, others (including myself) can’t wait to strap a GoPro on our hoverboard as we ride to work.
We may even do this while wearing a hat like Pharell’s.
What do you think? Can Google searches predict the future? What technology did you search for in 2014? What technology would you like to see in the future? Let us know in the comments below!
