Google’s Year in Search 2023 provides a glimpse into what the world was thinking about throughout the year.
On Monday, the company released a list of the topics that dominated global interest but also broke down searches locally.
Here’s what was on Chicagoans’ minds.
Chicago’s top trending ‘versus’ searches
- Mexico vs. Japan baseball
- Vallas vs. Johnson
- Mexico vs. Puerto Rico baseball
- Mexico vs. Uzbekistan
- PSG vs. Al Nassr score
Chicago was the only area in the U.S. with “Mexico vs. Puerto Rico baseball” as a top trending search.
Politics also made its way into the minds of Chicagoans this year, with “Vallas vs. Johnson” making its way up the list as the two squared off in the mayoral runoff race.
Boxing matches didn’t appear anywhere on Chicago’s top five, while the sport dominated Los Angeles’ and New York’s lists (sorry, Logan Paul).
Chicago’s top trending TV shows
- The Last of Us
- The Golden Bachelor
- Daisy Jones & the Six
- The Night Agent
- Shrinking
We’ll give an honorary spot to FX’s “The Bear” — the Chicago-based hit show captured the city’s hearts — and stomachs.
Chicagoans differentiated themselves from other cities by ignoring “The Idol,” the controversial HBO Max series staring The Weeknd and Lily Rose Depp. It ranked No. 3 for New York and Los Angeles, but couldn’t crack the top five for Chicago. Richard Roeper gave the series 1.5 stars.
“The Golden Bachelor” was particularly trendy in Chicago, climbing to spot No. 2 while it sat at No. 5 for Los Angeles, and didn’t make its way onto New York’s list at all.
Chicago’s top ‘near me’ searches
- Air quality near me
- Pilates near me
- Food pantry near me
- Temp agencies near me
- Golf courses near me
Air quality was on everyone’s minds this year, with wildfires pushing smoke into cities and causing a fog to settle over Chicago in June. Chicago, New York and Los Angeles all shared that search as their No. 1.
Pilates seems to be the year’s trendiest workout, making it onto New York and Chicago’s “near me” lists. Food pantries, temp agencies and golf courses were unique to Chicago out of the three cities.
Chicago’s top trending tours
- Taylor Swift, The Eras Tour
- Renaissance World Tour
- It’s All a Blur Tour
- The Celebration Tour
- Doble P Tour
Taylor Swift topped the tour charts for major cities, coming in at No. 1 for New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Beyoncé, Drake and Madonna, with her postponed Celebration Tour, also all found themselves in the top five spots for all three.
Chicago and Los Angeles also added the Doble P Tour to their lists. Peso Pluma’s Chicago show was canceled after death threats against the star by a Guadalajara cartel.
Other searches that defined 2023
War in Israel and Gaza was the most searched news globally of the year.
Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin topped the lists for most searched person and athlete in the world after he suffered a critical injury against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2.
“Barbie” beat out “Oppenheimer” for the most-searched movie globally, ranking at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.
Inter Miami CF was the most searched sports team in the world, with the Los Angeles Lakers trailing at No 2. For better or for worse, the Bears didn’t make their way into the top 10.
