Google's most trending searches of 2014: Robin Williams, World Cup and iPhone 6

Google has released its annual list of the year’s fastest-rising search requests. Although Google’s list usually comes last each year, its rankings typically provide more telling insights into what people were thinking because the company’s technology processes about two out of every three search requests made on the Internet. In India, the 2014 general elections topped the list of trending searches in India, followed by FIFA 2014 and the iPhone 6. Surprisingly, iPhone 6 ranks higher than newly-elected Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who stands at the fifth position. The 2014 general elections saw a high voter turn-out this year, which bought the BJP-led NDA coalition into power. It was also the longest election in the country’s history, running in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014. The buzz around the 2014 FIFA World Cup was far more than what the country has ever witnessed. According to Maxus Insights’ Social Media Statistics, India alone showed a rise of 4.4% in the game, with over 3.5 million engaged users on the Facebook page. Similarly the iPhone 6, which was launched during the Diwali festive season, saw a huge interest among the masses. Some reports said that the phones went out of stock within 72 hours of launching in India. Other top-trending searches include IPL 2014 and the movies Ragini MMS, Kick, Jai Ho and Happy New Year. The Motorola Moto G was the most-searched smartphone in India, followed by the Apple iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S5. Motorola launched the second generation Moto G this year, with a larger, 5-inch display and an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP one on the front, which was a jump from the previous Moto G’s 5MP rear shooter and 1.3MP front camera. The phone was priced at an affordable price tag of Rs 12,999. The top websites searched on Google India were IRCTC, online shopping website Flipkart, SBI Online, Flipkart rival Snapdeal, PNR Status, HDFC Netbanking, Cricbuzz, Google Translate, Times Of India and Amazon. Globally, Robin Williams’ suicide seared into the world’s collective mindset more than anything else this year, based on what people were searching for on Google. The reaction to Williams’ death in August topped Google’s list of 2014’s fastest-rising search requests. It beat notable events such as the Football World Cup, the Ebola outbreak, the March disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and the Ice Bucket Challenge, an Internet video craze to raise awareness and money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Other topics of worldwide intrigue on Google included the addictive smartphone game Flappy Bird, bearded drag queen Conchita Wurst, the Middle East extremist group ISIS, the hit Disney movie “Frozen,” and the Winter Olympics in Russia. Williams, Ebola, the World Cup and the Ice Bucket also ranked among the most-discussed subjects **this year on Facebook** , which released its list last week. Google released its list on Tuesday. With inputs from Associated Press