How many stories are behind every query?
What do you learn from what the world is looking to understand?
One of my favorite things working on Google Search was the opportunity it gave me to understand what the world was thinking at any point. Sampling top and random queries would give me an understanding of the zeitgeist in a particular place, but also diving into an anonymized session would allow me to follow a person on a learning journey.
If you’re curious about humans and the world, it’s an amazing resource to have. I got a flavor of that when the trends 2023 report came out. Check it out, and if you’re inclined take a moment to dive behind each query.
It’s both an amazing reminder of the things we may have forgotten already - so many things happened towards the start of the year that had faded from my memory like Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, and seeing the top queries in certain countries like the how to queries (“how to be a chess grandmaster” is at #5) or what people are trying to learn about (G20 to ChatGPT) in India is a window into a nation’s consciousness. Even comparing recipes across different countries is fascinating. :-)
It always turns out to be a little bit of a rabbit hole experience for me, which I expect I’ll continue over the next week.
Check it out. :-)