2022 sang its final verse, and now it’s time to look back at the past twelve months. What news and phenomena marked this year?

Google Norway has created a trending list for 2022, what do we have have cared about and most wanted.

And the Norwegians are definitely in a happy corner, literally. Because at the top of search trends we find Wordle, a word game that has spread like the plague across the kingdom.

But the war in Europe also left its mark. Words like Ukraine and Putin are highly searched for.

– A very difficult year

Professor of media studies at UiO, Petter Bae Brandtzæg, says that the list says a lot about the year we are about to leave.

– This top 10 list for Google sums up last year so well, they literally do it every year. They reflect what we want to know and what we want knowledge and information about.

Head of Communications at Google Norway, Sondre Ronander, said this year’s list shows that it has been a very difficult year.

– Some very serious things have happened in the world that have created an information gap. I think especially about the war in Ukraine.

Ronander was a little surprised that Wordle’s game came in first.

– It’s surprising, and fun to watch.

He explained that the game was popular and not easy to find, so many people searched for the game via Google.

Media expert Brandtzæg has another possible explanation.

– This may be a result of the closures in January and February and lots of people sitting at home.

Top 10 search trends in Norway 2022

1. Words
2. Ukraine
3. TV 2 Play
4. Jeffrey Dahmer
5. Flight
6. Jodix
7. Putin
8. Bilal
9. Johnny Depp
10. Amber Heard

Star mascorama at its peak

Which Norwegians are most wanted in 2022?

It’s clear that there are Maskorama’s sharp sleuths in thousands of homes, as two of Norway’s most wanted celebrities are both wearing masks this fall: Daniel Kvammen and winner Bilal.

Kvammen also wore his military uniform, as a participant Lauritzen Company.

Another universe that clearly captivates Norwegians is Every Time We Meet. Both Maj Britt Andersen, Øystein Greni and Jarle Bernhoft performed cover versions of the programme, and it made the year’s top 10 list.

– What’s shown on Norwegian TV also drives searches on Google. People are looking for who it was, and some are visiting old memories, re-reading about the great old days, said communications manager Ronander.

Professor Brandtzæg is also not surprised by TV’s high profile.

– It shows the power that big media and entertainment programs have in influencing what makes us curious.

Bilal is surprised because he is on top of the list.

– Wow. I didn’t realize this. Really wild. I can only say that I am very grateful and humbled by it, Bilal told NRK.

He went on to say that last year was really busy.

– 2022 is quite a year, you could say. I got to experience a lot of cool things with a lot of good people. I can say with hand on my heart that this is a year that will at least go down in my history books.

Top 10 Norwegians:

1. Bilal
2. Daniel Kvammen
3. Major Britt Andersen
4. Stig Millehaugen
5. Øystein Greni
6. Weird Roger Enoksen
7. Nils Jacob Hoff
8. Earl Bernhoft
9. Maria Maurstad
10. Arne Treholt

Trial and war

If you then add international celebrities to the list, it turns out that many followed the trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. This case involved the whole world, burning social media and news sites.

The effects of the war on Ukraine are also visible on this list, Vladimir Putin’s name is at the very top.

Petter Bae Brandtzæg reckons neither Depp nor Putin at the top come as a surprise.

– The trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard is a blanket dimension lifter. This goes to show that celebrities and gossip still sell.

And he believes the war in Ukraine has given us the need to understand and learn.

– We really need knowledge when war is so close to us.

Top 10 people:

1. Putin
2. Bilal
3. Johnny Depp
4. Amber Heard
5. Daniel Kvammen
6. Tina Turner
7. Major Britt Andersen
8. Clark Olofson
9. Micah
10. Stig Millehaugen

Pentecostals and oligarchs

There is also a list of things Norwegians have wanted to know the most in the last year. There’s a wide spectrum here, from words related to the war in Ukraine, to health and holidays.

The Whitsuns reigned supreme, but their list was also filled with diseases like monkeypox and salmonella.

top 10 «What…?»

1. What is Pentecost
2. What is oligarchy
3. What is monkeypox
4. What is EU
5. What is NATO
6. What is the League of Nations
7. What is my mental age
8. What is close contact
9. What is salmonella
10. What is fever

– The word oligarchy has been widely used in the media, and is not a colloquial word. We also see that the EU and NATO are in demand, so this is a year marked by international events, said Ronander.

Expired for questions

When you finally see the list of what Norwegians are searching for by the keyword “why”, it becomes clear again that 2022 is a serious year.

– It’s been a difficult year for many. We see it when people ask why electricity is so expensive and why Russia attacked Ukraine, said Sondre Ronander.

But the communications manager at Google Norway says it’s important and healthy for society that people are looking for information.

– What can be considered positive overall is that people get outlet for their questions and have places to go. We know that Google points to trustworthy news sources.

Professor Brandtzæg said Google had acquired an important function, both in work and personal contexts.

– Google is what we humans use, the most popular search engine. Google has taken over the old encyclopedia. It also gives Google a lot of power.

top 10 «Why…?»

1. Why do we celebrate Pentecost?
2. Why did Russia attack Ukraine?
3. Why is electricity so expensive?
4. Why are the teachers striking?
5. Why are the Taliban in Norway?
6. Why didn’t Sweden join NATO?
7. Why is SAS crashing?
8. Why is diesel more expensive than gasoline?
9. Why is iodine in a nuclear accident
10. Why are we raising the flag today?