From Grammy wins to cricket clashes to Trump to viral debates, the internet’s past obsessions prove some things are just too big to scroll past and forget
Time, they say, heals. What appears critical today may appear immaterial next year.
Is this true? How far did the events and trends of 2024 matter in 2025? Did the things that topped Google’s Year in Search in 2024 get carried over, or did they disappear from the collective consciousness online?
People and issues that trended in 2024 and were carried into 2025 include some famous musicians, controversial public and political figures and, closer home, strained diplomatic ties with our neighbouring countries. Quite a few trends were also quietly buried.
Homage to culture
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of it, let’s pay homage to some of the cultural trends that are popular till date.
First is American hip-hop and rap legend Kendrick Lamar, whose presence has permeated the socio-cultural zeitgeist. In 2024, his smashing five-Grammy-winning song of the year, Not like us, created during an album ‘diss battle’ with another Canadian musical giant, Drake, was selling off the shelves like hotcakes. His meteoric rise had him perform it at the famous Super Bowl Half-Time on February 9, 2025.
This year, he is the second-highest searched person worldwide, the first being American singer-songwriter d4vd.
Sports and cinema
We can’t have culture without sports, which has been a steady constant for fans worldwide. In 2024, Copa América, UEFA European Championship, ICC Men's T20 World Cup and India vs England, dominated the search results.
This year, India vs England, FIFA Club World Cup, India vs Australia and the Asia Cup are in the top 10 global search results. So, you can take the Commonwealth out of India, but you can’t take the ever-amusing rivalry with the England Cricket team out of it.
Also read: Why India's young Test team looks set to conquer the world
Another crucial pillar of culture is cinema, and 2024 led with Inside Out 2, followed by Deadpool & Wolverine and Saltburn. In 2025, Anora led trends, followed by Superman and The Minecraft Movie.
From introspective children’s films to fantastical superhero movies and romantic comedies to black comedy thrillers, not much has changed in the digital palate of moviegoers through these two years.
Famous figures, global issues
Last year's news pages were all about the US elections, with contenders Donald Trump and Kamala Harris leading trends, along with the shocking news of Trump being shot at a campaign rally, on July 13, 2024.
This September, one of his closest aides, Charlie Kirk, succumbed to a gunshot wound at Utah Valley University while speaking at an outdoor campus debate. Searches of his passing top the Google list.
Let’s zoom out the lens a bit and note that global tensions are still simmering, and have reached multiple boiling points, with Israel’s offensive against Gaza, as well as Iran. With Iran firing back, it made global headlines, with trends reflecting the conflict. Iran topped search results across 2024 and 2025.
Also read: Israeli destruction of Gaza shatters myth of ‘modern, progressive’ world
Apart from man-made tragedies, we have natural disasters still in the top trending searches — from Hurricane Milton in October 2024 to Hurricane Melissa in October-November 2025. Hurricane Milton was the most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, while Hurricane Melissa was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane on record. Both wreaked immense havoc, with people still rebuilding their livelihoods and neighbourhoods.
Picture back home
Domestically, India is still stumbling through the smog. The 2024 trends showed ‘AQI near me’ topping the list. Today, the Air Quality Index (AQI) is still a hot button topic in the country, with pollution levels going from ‘Hazardous’ to ‘Severe’ in the national capital and other major metros.
Also read: All major Indian cities recorded unsafe AQI, Bengaluru least affected: Study
And finally, the matter that has most Indians up in arms and willing to engage in: India vs Pakistan. From cricket matches to the Pahalgam attack to Operation Sindoor to Trump’s gazillionth claim to his peace-prowess, this topic has consistently trended across 2024 and 2025.
What can we take away from all of this? Do Google searches truly reflect our collective conscience?
Whatever may be the case, the learning is that trends will come and trends will go, but life goes on nevertheless. And, each trend leaves an impact on us, though with varying magnitude.
