2011
CONNECTIVE DIGITAL PATTERNS
LUMINARY LABS
WWW. LUMINARY-LABS.COM
@LUMINARYLABS

Each December, the world’s most popular websites offer up a
sampling of the year’s data, revealing what the online
population thought, said, and did.
And while these “top 10” lists are just the tip of the consumer
data iceberg, the connective patterns offer a glimpse of who
we are as a people.
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“gas mask”
Ten years ago, searches for “gas mask” spiked
across the engines and on eBay.
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“Gas mask” not only
completely defined us in
that place and at that time;
it became symbolic of the
prevailing sentiment of the
following decade.
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SO WHAT
DEFINED
US IN 2011?

ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY

While the US economy has shown subtle signs of
improvement, the fastest-rising economic searches on
Google suggest that we are still collectively asking “How
bad is this really?” and “Is this going to get worse?”
Searches for “recession 2011,” “inflation 2011,” US economy
2011,” “core inflation,” and “US GDP 2011” clearly question
our current state.
Incited by politics, we wanted to know more about “debt
ceiling” and “budget cuts.”
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Previously known as the
home of the middle
class, Americans are
increasingly aware
of the growing
wealth distribution
gap.
Searches for “top 1
income” and “US wealth
distribution” also made
the top ten fastest-rising
economic searches on
Google in 2011.
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HIRE ME (I’M CREATIVE!)

Survival is the new success as professionals seek steady
income. In 2011, the most overused buzzword in US
LinkedIn profiles was “creative,” - a drastic departure
from 2010’s overuse of “extensive experience.”
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OCCUPY

“Occupy” was the
second fastest-
rising Google
news search query
in the US.
As discussion gave
way to action,
protest became a
key marker of
2011.
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In less than one year, “occupy” came to represent an
entirely new way of thinking about and operating in society.
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I HEARD IT FIRST

The speed at which people
can now share information
has given rise to a new
measurement: volume
per second.
From sports to live events
to natural disasters, the
power to share
information strengthens
common, shared, cultural
experiences.
In some cases, such as the
raid on Osama bin
Laden the news on twitter
preceded traditional press
by more than one hour.

Osama Bin Laden’s
death was also the
most frequently
shared global news
topic in Facebook’s
800 million users’
status updates.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

What is planking? Good question, and the second most
frequently asked “what is” question on Google in the US.
“Planking” also topped the fastest-rising search queries for
Google Images in 2011, and repeatedly made appearances in
Facebook statuses.
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The top shared story by volume on Facebook was the New
York Time’s “Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and
After the Quake and Tsunmai,” featuring an interactive
slider.
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THE DARK HORSE

For the most part, fastest-rising
lists of overall searches are
predictable.
Mediocre celebrities, global news,
scandals, and the latest gadget
appear in new iterations each year.
However, this year a dark horse
made the top 10 fastest-rising
overall search terms.
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“Pinterest,” an online pinboard with social
functionality has garnered as many as 11
million visits in one week.
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