Google Zeitgeist’s top searches include Rebecca Black, Fukushima owner, and Steve Jobs

Google has released Zeitgeist 2011, its analysis of the top search terms of the year. These are always a bit embarrassing, so it's no surprise that singer Rebecca Black, whose song "Friday" was until recently the most disliked video on YouTube, was the fastest-rising term. Websites like Chatroulette and Twitter fell off the top ten, but Apple dominated: Steve Jobs, the iPad 2, and the mythical iPhone 5 all made top spots. There was one sobering addition — 東京 電力 or TEPCO, owner of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant that melted down following an earthquake and tsunami early this year, was eighth on the list. That term is also the first non-Latin one to ever make the global top ten.

There's also plenty of fodder for armchair analysis: Google+ took second place this year, but Facebook wasn't on the list for the first time since 2006. More people searched for Battlefield 3 than for its competitor Modern Warfare 3. The Kindle Fire was the fastest-rising gadget, with the iPhone 4S in second place. There's much more granular data, including lists by country and topic, at the source link below.