Trends reveal online India’s increasing obsession with politics

BANGALORE, INDIA: Yahoo India today announced its 2013 Year in Review, a look back at the biggest trends of the year in India, based on millions of searches users did on Yahoo as well as the editorial selection of what users read, recommended and shared on the Yahoo network.

Yahoo's Year in Review is an annual release in India since 2008, reflecting trends and nuances that captured the imagination of online India through the year.

The 2013 wrap is a medley of incredible newsmakers, historic milestones, box-office dramas, tumultuous finances, contested policies, sporting greats, shocking revelations, nature's fury and enduring celebrities, said a press release.

The trends this year clearly indicate all-consuming interest in Politics, not surprising given the upcoming general elections. BJP's prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat CM Narendra Modi or NaMo as he is being increasingly referred to, quite predictably tops the ‘Newsmaker of the Year' list, dislodging contender Arvind Kejriwal, who was the top newsmaker of 2012.

Lines blurred between politicians and celebrities, when Narendra Modi featured in the list of the ‘Most Searched Personalities' category, coming in the tenth position, while the other nine were held by Bollywood leading ladies.

For a nation obsessed with cricket, 2013's ‘Biggest Cricketing Moment' was our very own ‘Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar hanging up his boots. The historic moment had the nation in thrall, and of course netizens read, shared and searched all they could on one of the greatest cricketers in the history of sports.

In a rather ironic flip, the same year saw the IPL spot fixing scandal tarnish some of the most promising, and well-known cricketers in the country. In the midst of all the emotion and the controversies, Virat Kohli continued his stellar run to establish himself as the ‘Cricketer of the Year'.

Finance and economics ruled several debates this year, placing Raghuram Rajan, the newly appointed Governor of Reserve Bank of India, bang in the spotlight. He not only topped the Finance Newsmakers of list, but also featured as one of the Top Newsmakers of 2013.

The politics of policies seem to be on the minds of netizens with the Food Security Bill, the Land Acquisition Bill and the Pension Bill featuring in the ‘Most Widely Discussed Financial Events Online' this year. The Top Newsmakers list, which usually moves around Politics, Cricket and Entertainment, featured another surprise entry with CNR Rao, Head of the Prime Minister's Scientific Advisory Council, whose Bharat Ratna award and the ensuing row on the comment on politicians ‘nonchalant attitude towards science' earned him his space in the lime light.

Indians turned out to be very enthusiastic about travel as searches on Yahoo revealed. Users searched for offbeat destinations, along with the usual suspects placing Tranquebar at Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh amongst Most Searched Destinations in 2013.

Other themes which dominated the daily habits of online users in India include International sports, Scams and controversies, Most shocking photos and videos of 2013, Video themes of 2013, Cuisine moments amongst others.

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