Google Trends, Sarah Armstrong joins me to discuss the top searched trends people searched for in the month of March.
For the latest trends from Google visit: Trends.Google.com/Trends
Follow Twitter on Google at: Twitter.com/Google
Like Google on Facebook at: Facebook.com/Google
Like and Follow Google on Instagram at: Instagram.com/Google
Google March Trends Transcription
[00:00] – Announcer: Mason Vera Paine.
[00:02] – Mason Paine: Google trends expert Sarah Armstrong is here with the top search trends in science, entertainment, sports, and other news for the month of March. Thanks for joining me, Sarah.
[00:11] – Sarah Armstrong: Thank you for having me.
[00:12] – Mason Paine: So what are the big things that were on Google for this month?
[00:16] – Sarah Armstrong: We had lots of different topics trending this month. And the World of Entertainment, of course, it was the Oscars and Succession premiered. There was also St. Patrick’s Day and Women’s History Month, Daylight Savings, Time March Madness. So lots of fun stuff going on in March.
[00:31] – Mason Paine: Yeah, my favorite thing, not going to lie, is the Oscars. I just love movies. And this year was just absolutely fantastic. There were so many good movies. I’m shocked what got snubbed, and I was shocked what was in there. But what was trending this month when it comes to the Oscars?
[00:49] – Sarah Armstrong: Totally. I love looking at these Oscars trends, and it was so fun to watch the ceremony. The leading up to the Oscars, Avatar. That’s the movie that was really trending on Google. It was beating out all the other movies, at least in search trends. But then, of course, after the Oscars, everything everywhere all at once completely swept, and we saw way more search interest in that movie than anything else.
[1:12] – Mason Paine: And I’m surprised because I really thought Avatar was going to do so much better than what it did. And then out of left field, everything everywhere all at once just took everything. And I absolutely adore that movie. So I was nothing but excited once I was like, Oh, my God, they’re winning. They’re winning everything. It’s like, I just bet on this horse and it was going to make me gold.
[1:34] – Sarah Armstrong: Totally. It was so interesting to see these huge, big budget blockbusters, Top Gun, Avatar, loose to what was a very small budget movie and everything everywhere all at once. And we saw the top acting awards go to that movie. Of course, they won best picture. So really exciting night for that team.
[1:53] – Mason Paine: Yeah. And what was also strange for me was there was a lot of movies that got snubbed. Again, last year there was so many movies, and I didn’t realize how good all these movies were that didn’t even get a nomination. The Woman King, The Northman, Pearl, 3000 Years of Longing, Where the Crow Dad Sings. I could go on forever. So it was wild to see how many movies that were nominated and how many weren’t. I’m just curious, were any of the snubs trending at all?
[2:25] – Sarah Armstrong: You’re absolutely right. We went ahead and looked at those SNAP searches, and the Northman was the top Oscar SNAP search, followed by Kill, Don’t Worry Darling actually hit number three there, Woman King, and then the menu for Oscar SNAP.
[2:40] – Mason Paine: Yeah, I saw the Northman in theaters, and I was really geeked out that they used a lot of people from that region because you know Northman Vikings. And one of them they used was Bjork the singer. So I was thinking to myself when I found out, I couldn’t believe Bjork was in that movie. And of course, she had to play the weird witch Dr. Shaman thing. So I was like, Oh, that was totally Bjork.
[03:03] – Sarah Armstrong: That’s awesome. I still haven’t seen the North and you’ll have to go check it out. And clearly, a lot of people wanted to see it nominated since it was the top of our list.
[03:12] – Mason Paine: Yeah, it was a very excellent movie. Very well done. I’m so glad I went to see it in theaters instead of waiting at home to rent it. There are so many movies I’m going to have to put on my list, like the whale. Have you seen that yet?
[03:24] – Sarah Armstrong: I haven’t seen The Whale. Of course, Brendan Fraser won for best actor. I think some folks might have been surprised because fewer people, it seems like, have seen The Whale than some of these other bigger movies. But he came to the very top of our acting list for searches. Lots of people searching for Brendan Fraser.
[3:42] – Mason Paine: Now, the other thing you talked about was an HBO drama succession. I’ve actually never heard of that. I feel so out of the loop. Tell me what’s going on with that.
[3:50] – Sarah Armstrong: Really? Oh, I recommend it. It’s pretty fun. So it’s about this media tycoon family that runs a lot of news organizations and theme parks and that thing. It’s their fourth and final season and that premiered just this past week. So lots of folks tuned into that. We saw a massive spike in search interest all over the world for the different characters. And if you want to get an idea of what show it is, we also looked at the shows that people who are searching for succession are also searching for. The top two there were severance and the white Lotus. So they all fall into that same genre.
[4:32] – Mason Paine: Yeah. My mom likes those type of shows. But you know what I love when the series ends so then I could binge it. So when you said series, Finale, I was like, I’m there.
[4:42] – Sarah Armstrong: Totally. I haven’t watched the first episode of the new season. I’m waiting till I can binge it a little more. So I’m glad you haven’t seen it either. Sorry, don’t get Right.
[4:51] – Mason Paine: I don’t want any. I’m going to watch the whole thing from beginning to end. I think I’ve done that with The Mandolarian. I get tired of like, I want to just binge it. So I’m waiting for a few more seasons to come through. And it may take years, but I am committed.
[5:07] – Sarah Armstrong: It’s so fun to binge. And there’s some big shows that I still haven’t started and waiting for that binge. I understand doing the weekly episodes and then people are talking about it, but I just want to binge it.
[5:17] – Mason Paine: Right. Netflix has spoiled me. I’m not going back.
[5:21] – Sarah Armstrong: Totally.
[5:22] – Mason Paine: Speaking of other great things, St. Patrick’s Day, was that trending at all?
[5:27] – Sarah Armstrong: It was absolutely trending. Specifically in Chicago, we saw a ton of search interest in Chicago River. Specifically, how long does the Chicago River stay green? I looked that up, it looks like 24 to 48 hours. I don’t know if you saw a lot of folks in Chicago searching for St. Patrick’s Day.
[5:43] – Mason Paine: I live here. So I just go and look at it and it’s like, oh, cool. And then you go drink and leave.
[5:49] – Sarah Armstrong: Right, exactly.
[5:51] – Mason Paine: But I’m sure other people will be like… Because it is massive. The Chicago River spans the entire city downtown area. So it’s pretty long. It is as far as the eye can see, it goes into the Lake Michigan. So I’m like, It’s pretty cool. I’ve been seeing it since I was a kid, so I guess maybe I’m just over it. And at this point, it’s like, I need food and beer. Those are the two things I need.
[6:13] – Sarah Armstrong: Yeah, I need to visit Chicago for St. Patrick’s Day at some point. It looks so fun. And it’s the area of the country searching for St. Patrick’s Day more than anywhere else in the US. So people love it. We also looked at the top food that people search for on St. Patrick’s Day, corned beef and cabbage, put the top of the list there.
[6:32.] – Mason Paine: That’s an everyday meal. I can eat that all year round. I love corned beef and cabbage.
[6:36.] – Sarah Armstrong: Perfect. Every day should be St. Patrick’s Day.
[6:39] – Mason Paine: Were there any other meals or was it just corned beef and cabbage? Because there’s got to be more than that.
[6:45] – Sarah Armstrong: Yeah. So that was followed by Irish soda bread, shepherd’s pie, cow’s cannon, and Irish stew.
[6:52] – Mason Paine: Oh, my God. The soda bread. I forgot about that. It’s been ages since I’ve had soda bread. Now I got to go get some. I’m sure somebody can make some somewhere.
[7:00] – Sarah Armstrong: Is it a thicker bread? I don’t think I’ve had it.
[7:04] – Mason Paine: It’s sweet. That’s all I remember. But it’s been forever. And I’m like, I need some of that because I think you use 7 Up for it. Is it like not a 7Up cake, but it’s a bread and it’s delicious. And you drink and you eat it. I need to try it. Absolutely. Come to Chicago, look at our green river, have some Irish soda bread, get some corn beef and cabbage, and drink a little bit and you’ll be good to go.
[7:28] – Sarah Armstrong: Wow. You planned the perfect trip for me. I’m already so excited.
[7:32] – Mason Paine: Excited. March madness. Everybody’s excited this year. What’s trending? Got to know.
[7:38] – Sarah Armstrong: March madness. Yes, lots of interest in both the women’s and men’s teams. On the men’s side, we saw a lot of upsets. First seed, second seed teams are out of there. And three of the four teams in the Finals have never been in the Final Four before. So that’s very exciting. On the women’s side, Kaitlyn Clarke of Iowa, everyone’s searching for her. That’s the top team people are searching for on the women’s side. So lots of interest across the country.
[8:06] – Mason Paine: Now, I’m not going to lie, March Madness, I should be involved with it, only because I do love watching the NBA. But for me, the only thing I care about is the draft when they’re coming out of it. What’s the college draft going into the NBA? And I should be looking at this stuff because this will dictate what the next maybe four years or five years of the NBA will look like. And I always feel bad that I’m not more invested in March Madness.
[8:31] – Sarah Armstrong: It’s hard to follow all of it. I think the brackets are just fun. And watching everyone’s bracket get busted year after year, we’re absolutely seeing that, especially on the men’s side with those underdog teams taking over. So it’s hard to tell who the stars end up being. On the men’s team, even though they’re not in the final four, Duke is still seeing a lot of search interest over the past week. That’s followed by Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, and then Michigan State.
[8:56] – Mason Paine: Now, I am curious, and if you don’t know, that’s fine. In March Madness, I know that in this case there are upsets, but I’m sure that there are still favorite players. Do the favorite players throughout the regular season still have big interest when it comes to the NBA draft? See, this is why I should watch it. These are questions I’m sure I can answer myself, right? Would it matter if they didn’t make it to the end? Does it matter? It probably does.
[9:24] – Sarah Armstrong: We always see the most interesting players when their team… Like a Kaitlyn Clarke, when their team is doing really well and they’re still in the tournament, I would be interested to compare it to searches around the NBA draft. And maybe we need to pull some of that NBA draft data next time to see if it’s similar.
[9:41] – Mason Paine: Yeah, right. Because that’s pretty like, I wonder if it impacts their chances of being one of the top draft picks if their team didn’t make it all the way to the end, or at least top five or some shit. But who knows?
[9:54] – Sarah Armstrong: Totally. Because they have less visibility, people aren’t watching them as much maybe if the team drops out. So that’s really interesting. I wonder.
[10:00] – Mason Paine: Yeah, exactly. So again, something maybe I need to do. But here’s another thing I know I have to do, and I think it’s just more for interest. The moon phases. I know that was probably trending because I’m interested in that weird stuff.
[10:14] – Sarah Armstrong: Moon phases? Absolutely trending this month. This is one I had to look up because I guess I’m not on this side of social media, but there was a viral social media thing where folks were thinking that the moon phase, so what the moon looks like when they were born, if it fits perfectly in the moon phase when your partner was born, then that means you are soulmate. So lots of folks looking at the moon phase when they were born, whether it’s a full moon, crescent, and then their partners and seeing if it’s meant to be.
[10:47] – Mason Paine: Oh, my God. That’s like eighth grade, right? Your Tarot cards and your horoscope, and you’re trying to figure out where exactly you are in the moon phase so that you can get a good grade on your test. At least that’s what I remember doing.
[11:02] – Sarah Armstrong: 100 %. It’s so funny to see. And so the search, what is my moon phase? That quadrupled this month? So folks want to know.
[11:10] – Mason Paine: It’s funny. If you really get in depth with it, you’re going to have to figure out what time you were born at. And that’s usually when I dip out because I don’t know what time I was born at.
[11:20] – Sarah Armstrong: I try to dabble in the Astrology. I know I’m a Gemini, but that’s pretty much all I know. And it’s the time of birth that it all falls apart.
[11:30] – Mason Paine: For me. But it’s fun. It’s still fun to look at and you’re like, Okay, maybe if I look at my horoscope today and it says that there’s going to be good business tidings this year, and I’ll be like, Oh, great. You look forward to something really good.
[11:47] – Sarah Armstrong: If it feels at all accurate, I’m like, Wow, they really know me.
[11:51] – Mason Paine: Oh, my God. That’s hilarious. Was there anything else that I didn’t talk about that was trending this month on Google?
[11:57] – Sarah Armstrong: Something I think about that was fun is Pi Day, Pi and math 3.14, people like to celebrate it in a nerdy way. On March 14, we see a lot of interest in pie, like the pie you eat to celebrate Pi Day. So we were looking at different pies across the US. Apple pie is the most popular, but we’re comparing berries versus strawberry and Illinois berry pie is more popular. Chicken Pot pie versus Shepherd’s pie for your area. Chicken Pot pie, that’s more popular. So it’s interesting to see these regional differences with pies.
[12:32] – Mason Paine: I am shocked that pie the Movie wasn’t trending since it’s called pie. That’s such a weird movie.
[12:39] – Sarah Armstrong: Good point. Maybe the Oscar’s really overshadowed it.
[12:45] – Mason Paine: Well, actually, his other movie, he directed the whale. So you’re right. The whale would have overshadowed his actual film, Pie, because that was his first one.
[12:56] – Sarah Armstrong: That’s a good point.
[12:57] – Mason Paine: What’s his name? Darren Aronofsky? I think that’s it.
[13:01] – Sarah Armstrong: That sounds right.
[13:03] – Mason Paine: It sounds right. I’ve never said his name before.
[13:06] – Sarah Armstrong: I just think you did.
[13:06] – Mason Paine: That is right. It is it? Okay, yeah.
[13:08] – Sarah Armstrong: Darren.
[13:08] – Mason Paine: Aronofsky. There you go. His first movie was Pi, and then he directed the whale. So yeah, that probably overshadowed it. I actually, I love his movies.
[13:17] – Sarah Armstrong: Between Pi Day and the Oscars.
[13:20] – Mason Paine: Yeah, the Oscars trumped it all day long, probably. Well, Sarah, thank you so much. I really appreciate you being on. For those listening, where can they find all these trends at?
[13:29] – Sarah Armstrong: Yeah, thanks, Mason. You can find these trends and more at Google.com/ trends.
[13:34] – Announcer: This has been the Mason Vera Payne Show. Thanks for listening.
Like Mason on Facebook at: Facebook.com/MasonVeraPaine and follow on Twitter at: Twitter.com/MasonVeraPaine. Interested in being a guest on the show or wish to send pitches contact us at: [email protected]
