WEBVTT 00:00:10.830 --> 00:00:13.570 Welcome to Students Incorporated. I'm your host, 00:00:13.589 --> 00:00:16.329 Mr. Jason. Join me weekly as my students and 00:00:16.329 --> 00:00:18.850 I bring you content that's informative, positive, 00:00:19.010 --> 00:00:21.809 fun and uplifting. This podcast is created and 00:00:21.809 --> 00:00:23.949 produced with the help of students from the International 00:00:23.949 --> 00:00:28.839 Community School of Bangkok. Have you ever typed 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:31.300 a question into Google and it auto -corrected 00:00:31.300 --> 00:00:33.719 to something completely different? One second 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:35.899 you're asking a serious question, and the next 00:00:35.899 --> 00:00:39.659 your phone is asking if you meant, why are flamingos 00:00:39.659 --> 00:00:42.420 waterproof? That little moment of digital confusion 00:00:42.420 --> 00:00:44.939 is the perfect window into the weird, wonderful, 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:47.679 and sometimes hilarious world of what humanity 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:50.659 searches for online. And that's exactly what 00:00:50.659 --> 00:00:52.619 we're exploring today. We're taking a look at 00:00:52.619 --> 00:00:54.700 some of the most popular and downright strangest 00:00:54.700 --> 00:00:57.679 Google search topics of 2025. To help me dive 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:00.259 down this digital rabbit hole, I have co -host 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:02.679 James and Josiah with me. It's going to be a 00:01:02.679 --> 00:01:04.879 lot of fun and hopefully a little weird. But 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:07.260 before we get into the trending topic, let's 00:01:07.260 --> 00:01:08.700 hear a quote of the day and get some headline 00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:11.760 news. Today's quote comes from Vint Cerf, a man 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:13.700 often called one of the fathers of the internet. 00:01:13.859 --> 00:01:16.400 He said, The internet is a reflection of our 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:18.799 society, and that mirror is going to be reflecting 00:01:18.799 --> 00:01:21.560 what we see. I think that's the perfect way to 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:23.799 start our show. What he means is that the internet 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:26.620 isn't some strange, separate world. It's just 00:01:26.620 --> 00:01:29.379 a reflection of us. It's a giant mirror showing 00:01:29.379 --> 00:01:32.219 our best ideas, our biggest worries, and our 00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:34.799 weirdest, most random thoughts. There's no better 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:36.980 place to see that reflection than on our Google 00:01:36.980 --> 00:01:39.099 searches, which is exactly what we're digging 00:01:39.099 --> 00:01:41.180 into today. And that's our quote of the day. 00:01:41.239 --> 00:01:43.659 Now on to some headline news. Thank you for our 00:01:43.659 --> 00:01:46.069 quote of the day. Alright, it's time for Headline 00:01:46.069 --> 00:01:48.870 News. Our first Headline News piece will be a 00:01:48.870 --> 00:01:51.030 tech spotlight, and we're going to look at the 00:01:51.030 --> 00:01:54.329 man we just heard from, Vint Cerf. Who is Vint 00:01:54.329 --> 00:01:56.510 Cerf? According to sources like the Computer 00:01:56.510 --> 00:01:59.150 History Museum and Google's own tech archives, 00:01:59.590 --> 00:02:02.090 Vint Cerf is a foundational figure in the modern 00:02:02.090 --> 00:02:05.609 world. Along his partner, Bob Kahn, he co -designed 00:02:05.609 --> 00:02:09.210 the TCP -IP protocols, which form the communication 00:02:09.210 --> 00:02:11.590 language of the internet. Without their work, 00:02:11.629 --> 00:02:14.069 there would be no websites, no Gmail, and certainly 00:02:14.069 --> 00:02:17.409 no Google. Today, at 82 years old, he works at 00:02:17.409 --> 00:02:20.030 Google with the official title of Chief Internet 00:02:20.030 --> 00:02:22.889 Evangelist, where he focuses on the future of 00:02:22.889 --> 00:02:25.789 web accessibility. Mr. Cerf has received numerous 00:02:25.789 --> 00:02:28.509 awards for his work, including the Presidential 00:02:28.509 --> 00:02:31.030 Medal of Freedom and the Turing Award, which 00:02:31.030 --> 00:02:33.349 is often considered the Nobel Prize of Computing. 00:02:33.689 --> 00:02:36.689 Our next headline comes from TechCrunch and is 00:02:36.689 --> 00:02:40.400 AI Overhauls the Classic Google Search. As reported 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:42.819 by TechCrunch, the way we find information is 00:02:42.819 --> 00:02:45.460 changing drastically. Google's ongoing rollout 00:02:45.460 --> 00:02:47.900 of its Search Generative Experience, or SGE, 00:02:48.099 --> 00:02:50.780 now means that for many queries, users are no 00:02:50.780 --> 00:02:53.360 longer getting a list of blue links. Instead, 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:56.319 the top of the page features a complete AI -ridden 00:02:56.319 --> 00:02:59.000 summary that answers the question directly, pulling 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:02.060 in the information from multiple websites. This 00:03:02.060 --> 00:03:04.439 shift is changing how we interact with information 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:07.060 and has major implications for websites that 00:03:07.060 --> 00:03:09.960 rely on traffic from search engines. On one hand, 00:03:09.979 --> 00:03:12.719 it's incredibly convenient. You can ask how to 00:03:12.719 --> 00:03:15.599 fix a leaky faucet and get a direct summary without 00:03:15.599 --> 00:03:18.539 clicking any links. But this convenience is creating 00:03:18.539 --> 00:03:21.439 what experts call a zero -click problem. The 00:03:21.439 --> 00:03:24.139 very recipe blogs, news sites, and creators who 00:03:24.139 --> 00:03:26.400 provide the original information are seeing their 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:28.699 web traffic disappear, raising big questions 00:03:28.699 --> 00:03:30.960 about how content creators can survive when AI 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:33.659 delivers the answer without ever sending users 00:03:33.659 --> 00:03:36.159 to their page. And finally, our last headline 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:38.740 comes from The Verge, which states, Viral AI 00:03:38.740 --> 00:03:42.020 Time Machine Filter Clogs Search Traffic. The 00:03:42.020 --> 00:03:44.099 Verge reports that the latest viral trend sweeping 00:03:44.099 --> 00:03:47.240 social media is the AI Time Machine Filter. This 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:49.680 tool uses artificial intelligence to realistically 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:53.039 age or de -age a user's face in photos and videos. 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:55.979 This trend has led to a massive spike in related 00:03:55.979 --> 00:03:58.879 Google searches with How to Use AI Time Machine 00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:02.680 Filter and Is the AI Aging Filter Safe? becoming 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:05.120 two of the most popular search queries globally 00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:07.780 over the past few weeks, demonstrating how quickly 00:04:07.780 --> 00:04:09.919 social media trends can dominate our collective 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:12.639 curiosity. To join in on the fun, users have 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:15.060 to upload their personal photos to the app's 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:17.560 servers. This has sparked a wider conversation 00:04:17.560 --> 00:04:20.360 about the hidden costs of free apps and what 00:04:20.360 --> 00:04:22.459 companies might be doing with our biometric data 00:04:22.459 --> 00:04:24.819 long after the trend is over. And that's what's 00:04:24.819 --> 00:04:26.839 making headlines from the very foundations of 00:04:26.839 --> 00:04:29.060 the internet to the AI that's reshaping it today. 00:04:29.579 --> 00:04:31.899 Thank you for the quote and headline news. And 00:04:31.899 --> 00:04:34.660 we're back with Josiah and James and two student 00:04:34.660 --> 00:04:37.259 guests for this segment. Welcome Vijay, one of 00:04:37.259 --> 00:04:39.540 our production assistants, and Lucas, one of 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:42.480 our content team members. We're diving into the 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:45.920 most popular Google searches of 2025. When you 00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:48.379 look at the raw data of the most typed words, 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:51.639 it's kind of surprising. The list is topped by 00:04:51.639 --> 00:04:55.560 things we already know, like YouTube with 579 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:59.339 million searches a month, WhatsApp web. with 00:04:59.339 --> 00:05:03.459 $527 million, and Facebook. Vijay, why do you 00:05:03.459 --> 00:05:06.279 think we search for the front doors of websites 00:05:06.279 --> 00:05:09.160 we visit every day? I think it's pure digital 00:05:09.160 --> 00:05:11.779 muscle memory. The Google search bar is just 00:05:11.779 --> 00:05:13.980 a starting point for just about everything and 00:05:13.980 --> 00:05:16.759 everyone when they go online. We don't think, 00:05:16.759 --> 00:05:20.860 I need to type the address youtube .com. We just 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:23.879 think, I want to watch a video. And our fingers 00:05:23.879 --> 00:05:26.139 automatically type YouTube into the search bar. 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:28.779 It's just easier and faster. You don't have to 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:31.339 worry about typos or getting the .com right. 00:05:31.720 --> 00:05:34.459 By the way, in case you get confused by the name 00:05:34.459 --> 00:05:39.019 name extensions, like is it a .com or .org or 00:05:39.019 --> 00:05:42.660 .net, there are nearly 1 ,600 different website 00:05:42.660 --> 00:05:46.199 extensions now, also known as top -level domains 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:50.939 as of 2025. These extensions include common ones 00:05:50.939 --> 00:05:54.379 like .com, country -specific ones like .com, 00:05:54.029 --> 00:05:57.970 .uk or .th and specialized ones like .pizza or 00:05:57.970 --> 00:06:01.350 .tech. New extensions are added regularly by 00:06:01.350 --> 00:06:07.089 ICANN. So what is ICANN or ICANN? It sounds like 00:06:07.089 --> 00:06:09.269 a mysterious organization making the internet 00:06:09.269 --> 00:06:12.449 work. Without getting too techy, ICANN is short 00:06:12.449 --> 00:06:15.910 for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and 00:06:15.910 --> 00:06:18.790 Numbers. It is a non -profit organization that 00:06:18.790 --> 00:06:29.990 coordinates the unique identifiers Wow, so they 00:06:29.990 --> 00:06:32.250 are massively important. And I guess that the 00:06:32.250 --> 00:06:33.990 common person has never heard of them before. 00:06:34.410 --> 00:06:36.769 Now, back to the digital muscle memory thing. 00:06:36.889 --> 00:06:39.269 I have to admit, I search like that all the time. 00:06:39.370 --> 00:06:41.569 My laptop's homepage is Google, and the very 00:06:41.569 --> 00:06:44.209 first thing I do is type YouTube into it. It's 00:06:44.209 --> 00:06:46.810 just automatic. It feels like the natural first 00:06:46.810 --> 00:06:49.329 step, or maybe that is what we have all been 00:06:49.329 --> 00:06:52.019 conditioned to do now. It's just a habit, though. 00:06:52.160 --> 00:06:54.899 Or is there a functional reason for it? Maybe 00:06:54.899 --> 00:06:57.579 the search results are actually more useful than 00:06:57.579 --> 00:07:01.139 going direct. That's part of it, too. When you 00:07:01.139 --> 00:07:03.680 search, the results might give you a direct link 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:06.160 to your subscriptions page, a trending video, 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:09.379 or a news story related to the site. You're letting 00:07:09.379 --> 00:07:11.379 Google do the work of finding the most relevant 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:14.379 entry point for you at the exact moment. It's 00:07:14.379 --> 00:07:16.660 why things like Amazon, Gmail, and Weather are 00:07:16.660 --> 00:07:18.920 also on that list. It's the Internet's universal 00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:21.810 remote control. Yeah, but that list just shows 00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:24.410 our habits, our conditioning, not our curiosity. 00:07:24.889 --> 00:07:27.250 It's the digital equivalent of walking to the 00:07:27.250 --> 00:07:29.689 fridge. You do it 20 times a day without thinking. 00:07:29.990 --> 00:07:32.470 The interesting stuff is what's new and different. 00:07:32.689 --> 00:07:34.790 If you look at the breakout topics and events 00:07:34.790 --> 00:07:37.970 of 2025, you get a completely different picture 00:07:37.970 --> 00:07:39.870 of what people are actually thinking and talking 00:07:39.870 --> 00:07:42.350 about. And that's the great distinction. Let's 00:07:42.350 --> 00:07:45.189 move on to some of those topics. The big cultural 00:07:45.189 --> 00:07:47.930 moments. James, what were some of the major search 00:07:47.930 --> 00:07:51.329 trends out there this year so far? Well, entertainment 00:07:51.329 --> 00:07:53.449 was high on the list. The release of the new 00:07:53.449 --> 00:07:55.990 Superman movie was a popular search. And for 00:07:55.990 --> 00:07:57.970 all the gamers out there, there were a lot of 00:07:57.970 --> 00:08:00.149 people wondering when GTA 6 will be released. 00:08:00.329 --> 00:08:02.509 For your information, totally not recommended 00:08:02.509 --> 00:08:04.490 for kids, but they'll probably be adults by the 00:08:04.490 --> 00:08:06.889 time it's released. Another search that was popular 00:08:06.889 --> 00:08:09.610 was searches for the Artemis 2 mission. I think 00:08:09.610 --> 00:08:11.170 it's because we're in a bit of a stressful time, 00:08:11.269 --> 00:08:13.750 and seeing humanity do something so big, so ambitious, 00:08:13.850 --> 00:08:16.430 and so united, it feels important. People were 00:08:16.430 --> 00:08:18.230 searching for that sense of wonder and excitement. 00:08:18.449 --> 00:08:21.069 It's probably why people also search Google for 00:08:21.069 --> 00:08:23.290 the Invictus games so heavily as well. People 00:08:23.290 --> 00:08:25.470 are actively searching for inspiring, positive 00:08:25.470 --> 00:08:27.949 human stories. But you have to wonder how much 00:08:27.949 --> 00:08:30.110 of that is genuine excitement versus what I'd 00:08:30.110 --> 00:08:32.590 call a FOMO search, the fear of missing out. 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:35.019 You search for Superman not just because you 00:08:35.019 --> 00:08:37.299 love the character, but because you want to understand 00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:39.700 the memes and be a part of the conversation at 00:08:39.700 --> 00:08:43.200 school the next day. Or go find where it's showing 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:46.320 in the theaters. That's true, but even that is 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:48.799 a huge driver, and you can't ignore the evergreen 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.279 searches that have been popular. How to learn 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:53.899 a new skill is always trending, and the big one 00:08:53.899 --> 00:08:56.940 for our generation is AI tools. That's a trend 00:08:56.940 --> 00:08:59.639 that's both a habit and a curiosity, as new tools 00:08:59.639 --> 00:09:02.399 pop up every week. Okay, so we have our daily 00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:05.379 habits and these massive event -driven topics. 00:09:05.679 --> 00:09:08.320 But there's a third layer, right? The more specific 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:11.159 niche trends. Lucas, you were looking at some 00:09:11.159 --> 00:09:13.460 data, so what did you find out? Right, if you 00:09:13.460 --> 00:09:16.000 zoom into specific categories, you'll see what 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:18.159 people are actually buying and doing. In health 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:20.100 and wellness, sunscreen searches hit an all -time 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:23.620 high. Wait, why is sunscreen a trend? It's been 00:09:23.620 --> 00:09:25.970 around forever. It's because the products changed. 00:09:26.190 --> 00:09:28.610 People on TikTok and YouTube started talking 00:09:28.610 --> 00:09:31.649 about new formulas. So now the searches are super 00:09:31.649 --> 00:09:34.450 specific, like tinted sunscreen reviews, sunscreen 00:09:34.450 --> 00:09:37.129 that doesn't leave a white cast, or serum sunscreen. 00:09:37.409 --> 00:09:40.529 The conversation got more detailed. So do searches 00:09:40.529 --> 00:09:43.070 did too. Exactly. And you'll see the same thing 00:09:43.070 --> 00:09:45.649 in the beauty and fashion category. We have searches 00:09:45.649 --> 00:09:47.610 for things like hair drying brushes and silk 00:09:47.610 --> 00:09:50.269 bonnets. Okay, you have to explain the silk bonnet 00:09:50.269 --> 00:09:52.710 thing. How does one video make a hair accessory 00:09:52.710 --> 00:09:55.500 atop Google search? It's the power of the algorithm. 00:09:55.740 --> 00:09:58.080 A creator shows their hair care routine, millions 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:00.100 of people see it, and they all rave about how 00:10:00.100 --> 00:10:02.100 a silk bonnet protects their hair while they 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:04.399 sleep. Suddenly, everyone's searching where to 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.600 buy a silk bonnet. It creates this massive instant 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:08.399 demand for a product that's been around for decades. 00:10:09.059 --> 00:10:11.480 The news and politics category shows a different 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:13.799 side of the search. You see sustained interest 00:10:13.799 --> 00:10:16.779 in the 2024 U .S. election results and other 00:10:16.779 --> 00:10:18.960 political breakout searches related to immigration, 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:22.259 election -related terms like polls, or platforms. 00:10:22.990 --> 00:10:25.269 That's a great example of search being used as 00:10:25.269 --> 00:10:28.549 an educational tool. A complex term enters the 00:10:28.549 --> 00:10:31.169 public conversation and people immediately go 00:10:31.169 --> 00:10:33.490 to Google to figure out, what is this and why 00:10:33.490 --> 00:10:36.429 does it matter to me? Okay, James, to help end 00:10:36.429 --> 00:10:38.389 this segment, you have a list of some of the 00:10:38.389 --> 00:10:42.649 top search terms so far in 2025. It's by no means 00:10:42.649 --> 00:10:45.429 a comprehensive list, but these were all really 00:10:45.429 --> 00:10:48.789 high on the search list. Well, we start off with 00:10:48.789 --> 00:10:51.990 video game specific information. Users are constantly 00:10:51.990 --> 00:10:54.570 looking for gameplay videos, mission walkthroughs, 00:10:54.570 --> 00:10:58.169 reviews, and online multiplayer tips. Searches 00:10:58.169 --> 00:11:00.509 for artificial intelligence tools have surged. 00:11:00.629 --> 00:11:03.809 People are looking for how to use specific platforms 00:11:03.809 --> 00:11:06.590 for generative video, AI -powered research for 00:11:06.590 --> 00:11:09.250 school and work, and integrating AI assistance 00:11:09.250 --> 00:11:12.289 into their daily routines. Well, there's also 00:11:12.289 --> 00:11:15.590 economic outlook. Terms like inflation, interest 00:11:15.590 --> 00:11:17.909 rates, and stock market trends have remained 00:11:17.909 --> 00:11:20.639 highly searched. People are constantly looking 00:11:20.639 --> 00:11:23.799 for financial news and expert opinions to understand 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:27.019 the direction of the global economy. And digital 00:11:27.019 --> 00:11:29.740 detox was high on searches as well. This seems 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:33.019 to reflect a growing societal concern. This search 00:11:33.019 --> 00:11:35.220 shows people are actively looking for strategies 00:11:35.220 --> 00:11:38.120 and tips to reduce screen time and manage their 00:11:38.120 --> 00:11:40.360 relationship with technology for better mental 00:11:40.360 --> 00:11:43.460 health. Okay, so when you put all the top search 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:46.600 terms, topics, and trends together, you get this 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:49.399 incredible multi -layered picture of our society. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:52.340 It's everything from the biggest headlines to 00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:55.419 the most specific daily routines. Never before 00:11:55.419 --> 00:11:58.639 in the history of the world have we, the humans, 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:01.879 had so much information readily accessible at 00:12:01.879 --> 00:12:05.340 our fingertips 24 -7. OK, so we got to take a 00:12:05.340 --> 00:12:07.100 break now. But when we come back, we're going 00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:09.919 to put all this popular stuff aside and dive 00:12:09.919 --> 00:12:12.080 into the strangest corners of the search bar. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:14.700 We're talking about the weirdest searches of 00:12:14.700 --> 00:12:17.879 2025. So we'll be right back after the short 00:12:17.879 --> 00:12:25.600 PSA. Hey, everyone, we're taking a quick pause 00:12:25.600 --> 00:12:27.600 from the discussion. We've been talking about 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:30.080 all the amazing, funny and useful things we found 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:32.259 on the Internet. But it's also a good time for 00:12:32.259 --> 00:12:34.809 a quick reminder. The top search result isn't 00:12:34.809 --> 00:12:37.029 always the most truthful one. Search engines 00:12:37.029 --> 00:12:39.330 are designed to give you relevant results, but 00:12:39.330 --> 00:12:41.769 that doesn't mean they're free from biased or 00:12:41.769 --> 00:12:44.269 inaccurate information. Every source has its 00:12:44.269 --> 00:12:46.370 own point of view, so it's important to think 00:12:46.370 --> 00:12:48.450 critically about what you're reading. A simple 00:12:48.450 --> 00:12:50.669 way to do that is with the rule of three. When 00:12:50.669 --> 00:12:52.350 you're looking up something important, click 00:12:52.350 --> 00:12:55.129 on it at least three different sources to see 00:12:55.129 --> 00:12:57.429 if they all agree. A little bit of fact -checking 00:12:57.429 --> 00:13:05.500 goes a long way. Welcome back to the show. We 00:13:05.500 --> 00:13:07.740 just spent some time talking about some of the 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:10.740 popular searches this year so far, which gave 00:13:10.740 --> 00:13:13.139 us a good picture of our digital habits and cultural 00:13:13.139 --> 00:13:16.059 insights. But for this segment, we're throwing 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:18.840 the map away and venturing into the wild, weird 00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:21.659 wilderness of the Internet. And to help guide 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:24.679 us, Josiah and James are with us again. And we 00:13:24.679 --> 00:13:26.860 welcome two other team members, Cincinnati, our 00:13:26.860 --> 00:13:29.799 social media guru, and Porsche, one of our content 00:13:29.799 --> 00:13:32.580 creators. Welcome to the show. Hey, thanks for 00:13:32.580 --> 00:13:35.320 having us. This is the fun stuff. For sure. I've 00:13:35.320 --> 00:13:37.200 been waiting for this part. Awesome. So let's 00:13:37.200 --> 00:13:39.500 jump right into it. The weird searches. These 00:13:39.500 --> 00:13:41.600 are the questions you'd probably be too embarrassed 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:44.600 to ask a real person, but you'll ask Google without 00:13:44.600 --> 00:13:47.240 a second thought. Simpson, let's start with you. 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:49.940 What's a category of weird searches that you 00:13:49.940 --> 00:13:53.600 find fascinating? One category I found fascinating 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:56.700 is called shower thoughts searches. These are 00:13:56.700 --> 00:13:59.299 bizarre pseudoscience questions that have no 00:13:59.299 --> 00:14:02.279 real -world application, but you just have to 00:14:02.279 --> 00:14:05.360 know the answer. A classic one that trends every 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:08.840 year is, do fish get thirsty? It sounds stupid 00:14:08.840 --> 00:14:11.379 at first, but when you think about it, do they? 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:14.000 They're surrounded by water, but they still need 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:17.440 to regulate their internal systems. It's a genuinely 00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:20.740 complex biology question, hiding inside a silly 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:23.580 search. Good point. It's like, what color is 00:14:23.580 --> 00:14:26.019 a mirror? Or, if you try to fail and succeed, 00:14:26.340 --> 00:14:29.039 which one did you do? The search becomes a way 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:31.419 to settle a completely pointless argument. It 00:14:31.419 --> 00:14:34.120 proves that curiosity is often just a form of 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:36.899 play. That leads to my favorite category of weird 00:14:36.899 --> 00:14:40.100 searches. The purely hypothetical and creative 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:43.860 ones. For example, a really popular one is among 00:14:43.860 --> 00:14:46.480 writers and gamers is, how would you explain 00:14:46.480 --> 00:14:49.399 Wi -Fi to a medieval knight? Well, there's no 00:14:49.399 --> 00:14:51.919 right answer, but searching for it gives you 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:55.159 hundreds of incredibly creative, funny, and clever 00:14:55.159 --> 00:14:57.559 ways to think about technology. So we're using 00:14:57.559 --> 00:15:01.259 Google as a creativity prompt? I guess, in a 00:15:01.259 --> 00:15:04.250 way. It can be a brainstorming tool. You see 00:15:04.250 --> 00:15:06.490 it with searches like, what would happen if the 00:15:06.490 --> 00:15:09.710 earth suddenly stopped spinning? Or could a dragon 00:15:09.710 --> 00:15:12.649 be scientifically possible? It's people using 00:15:12.649 --> 00:15:15.710 this massive engine of information, not for facts, 00:15:15.769 --> 00:15:18.909 but for imagination. Yeah, but I think the weirdest 00:15:18.909 --> 00:15:21.149 searches are the newest ones though. The ones 00:15:21.149 --> 00:15:23.710 that couldn't have existed five years ago. I'm 00:15:23.710 --> 00:15:25.190 talking about the questions we're starting to 00:15:25.190 --> 00:15:28.110 ask about AI. We're so used to asking AI questions, 00:15:28.409 --> 00:15:31.429 but now people are asking questions about AI. 00:15:32.110 --> 00:15:34.509 I've seen trends for searches like, what do AI 00:15:34.509 --> 00:15:37.490 chatbots dream about? Or can I get an AI board? 00:15:37.970 --> 00:15:40.809 We've created this new form of intelligence, 00:15:40.909 --> 00:15:43.570 and now our weirdest questions are about trying 00:15:43.570 --> 00:15:46.990 to figure out if it has a secret in our life. 00:15:47.269 --> 00:15:49.909 It's like we're trying to find humanity in the 00:15:49.909 --> 00:15:53.440 machine. Yes, that is deep. That's a fascinating 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:56.639 point. Why do you all think we turn to Google 00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:58.899 for these questions? Why not just ponder them 00:15:58.899 --> 00:16:01.580 ourselves or ask our friends? Probably because 00:16:01.580 --> 00:16:04.379 there's zero judgment from a search bar. You 00:16:04.379 --> 00:16:07.320 can ask the silliest, strangest, most profound 00:16:07.320 --> 00:16:10.139 or embarrassing question in the world, and Google 00:16:10.139 --> 00:16:12.740 will give you results. It's a safe space for 00:16:12.740 --> 00:16:15.740 our curiosity, within reason, of course. It's 00:16:15.740 --> 00:16:17.799 also instant. If you have a weird thought or 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:20.220 question any time, day or night, your friends 00:16:20.220 --> 00:16:22.620 or parents may not be available, but Google is 00:16:22.620 --> 00:16:26.779 24 -7. Ah, yes, 24 -7. For better or for worse. 00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:30.159 We've all been conditioned to get instant answers 00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:33.879 to any or all of our questions. Okay, moving 00:16:33.879 --> 00:16:36.440 on. This is the moment of truth. Let's do a lightning 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:38.580 round of some common and weird searches that 00:16:38.580 --> 00:16:41.500 have been used a lot in Google. James, you go 00:16:41.500 --> 00:16:44.240 first. A surprisingly common one that gets millions 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:47.259 of hits is, am I a robot or am I an assimilation? 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:50.000 All those capture tests asking you to identify 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:52.980 buses and crosswalks are starting to make people 00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:55.980 feel they need to ask that question. All right, 00:16:55.980 --> 00:16:58.860 Simpson, what do you have? A classic from the 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:02.259 world of dream interpretation. Why did I dream 00:17:02.259 --> 00:17:04.980 my teeth are falling out? That is a recurring 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:07.079 classic. I feel like most people have searched 00:17:07.079 --> 00:17:09.539 that up at least once. It's universally terrifying. 00:17:10.140 --> 00:17:12.480 And it really is, especially if you've had that 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:15.180 dream before. All right, Josiah, your turn. I 00:17:15.180 --> 00:17:17.599 found one that plays on an old joke. Is it illegal 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:20.420 for a chicken to cross the road? Who is asking 00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:22.400 these type of questions? That's my question. 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:24.740 Well, what'd you find out, Porsche? I went for 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:27.400 one that is both philosophical and weirdly specific. 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:31.059 How many calories are in a human soul? Nah, that's 00:17:31.059 --> 00:17:33.279 kind of deep, though. That has never crossed 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:36.019 my mind before until now. Oddly enough, even 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:38.480 though it's a question that makes no sense, I 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:40.599 kind of want to search for the answer now. Well, 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:42.980 I'm glad your curiosity was piqued with that 00:17:42.980 --> 00:17:45.359 question. Mine was too. I typed the question 00:17:45.359 --> 00:17:48.660 in Google and this is what I found out. A human 00:17:48.660 --> 00:17:51.400 soul does not have calories because calories 00:17:51.400 --> 00:17:54.960 measure the energy in food. And a soul is not 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:57.839 a physical entity, but a spiritual one. So a 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.670 soul is not food. So there you go. And I'll finish 00:18:00.670 --> 00:18:03.230 off with a classic from the world of panicked 00:18:03.230 --> 00:18:06.529 pet owners. Why is my goldfish turning black? 00:18:06.809 --> 00:18:09.170 You can just feel the panic in that search. Someone 00:18:09.170 --> 00:18:11.289 is just staring at their fishbowl in horror as 00:18:11.289 --> 00:18:13.680 they type that in the search bar. Exactly, and 00:18:13.680 --> 00:18:16.019 I think that perfectly sums it up. These searches 00:18:16.019 --> 00:18:19.380 aren't on any year -end search trend report, 00:18:19.619 --> 00:18:22.640 but they do feel very human. They show our anxieties, 00:18:22.740 --> 00:18:25.740 our silly curiosities, our creativity, and our 00:18:25.740 --> 00:18:28.279 deepest philosophical questions. They're proof 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:31.740 that we are all a little weird, and we are all 00:18:31.740 --> 00:18:34.240 curious about the same strange stuff. And with 00:18:34.240 --> 00:18:36.680 that... This is the perfect way to end this segment 00:18:36.680 --> 00:18:39.359 and this episode. So thank you to our guests 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:41.759 for helping us explore the popular and weird, 00:18:41.859 --> 00:18:44.960 wacky world of Google search bar for this episode. 00:18:51.660 --> 00:18:54.039 And that brings us to the end of this episode. 00:18:54.589 --> 00:18:57.190 We looked into the internet's giant mirror and 00:18:57.190 --> 00:18:59.930 it showed us two very different but equally important 00:18:59.930 --> 00:19:02.829 things. The popular searches showed us a map 00:19:02.829 --> 00:19:05.529 of our culture, the digital habits we all share, 00:19:05.730 --> 00:19:08.069 and the big events that bring us together, and 00:19:08.069 --> 00:19:10.410 the trends that defined our year. But the weird 00:19:10.410 --> 00:19:13.569 searches showed us our personalities, our uncensored 00:19:13.569 --> 00:19:17.420 curiosity, and our sense of humor. and the wonderfully 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:20.160 strange questions that make us human. All right, 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:22.720 and as always, this podcast would not be possible 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:25.319 without the hard work and support of our international 00:19:25.319 --> 00:19:27.920 student production team. All music and sound 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:30.539 effects are courtesy of Pixabay .com, a vibrant 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:32.700 community of creatives sharing copyright -free 00:19:32.700 --> 00:19:35.099 images, videos, and music. And we are signing 00:19:35.099 --> 00:19:38.420 off until next time. We are Students Incorporated, 00:19:38.460 --> 00:19:40.079 because your voice matters.