Internet company reflects on 2009 search results: Americans log on to 'escape and cope' in 2009

(AFP/VALERIE MACON)

Michael Jackson was the top search on Yahoo! for 2009 but the year was also characterized by a growing trend of people searching for websites and information from their mobile phones.

Search trends related to the economy, Obama, celebrity farewells, sudden rises to fame, science, music and sports teams were also categories that defined 2009 for Yahoo!

"We saw consumers escape to the Web hoping to pursue news and their guilty pleasures: vampires, political implosions, how to moonwalk - you name it, people went online to find it," said Vera Chan, a Yahoo! Search trend analyst. "And with economic uncertainty looming, people looked for ways to find stability by searching the Web for new jobs, unemployment benefits, and ways to save through old-fashioned coupon hunting."

Yahoo! has created a "Year In Review" website in celebration of 2009 where people can look back and reflect on the events that defined the year in search.

Top 10 Overall Searches for 2009
1. Michael Jackson
2. Twilight
3. WWE
4. Megan Fox
5. Britney Spears
6. Naruto
7. American Idol
8. Kim Kardashian
9. NASCAR
10. Runescape

Top 10 Yahoo! Mobile Searches for 2009
1. Megan Fox
2. Mobile Games
3. Michael Jackson
4. Movies
5. Rihanna
6. Mail
7. Lady Gaga
8. NFL
9. Ringtones
10. iPhone

Top 10 Economy-Related Searches for 2009
1. Coupons
2. Unemployment
3. Stimulus Plan
4. Cash for Clunkers
5. Student Loans
6. IRS Refund
7. Foreclosures
8. Government Jobs
9. Bernard Madoff
10. Health Care Bill

Top Obama Searches for 2009
1. Obama Inauguration
2. Obama Biography
3. Obama Speech
4. Obama Stimulus Plan
5. Obama Family
6. Obama Health Care Reform
7. Obama Approval Ratings
8. Obama Facebook
9. Obama Overseas (a roundup of his numerous travels)
10. Obama Dramas (a roundup of controversies)

Top 10 Celebrity Farewell Searches for 2009
1. Michael Jackson
2. Farrah Fawcett
3. Patrick Swayze
4. Natasha Richardson
5. Jett Travolta
6. Billy Mays
7. David Carradine
8. Steve McNair
9. Jade Goody
10. Ted Kennedy

Top 10 Sudden-Fame Searches for 2009
1. Jon & Kate Gosselin
2. Erin Andrews
3. Susan Boyle
4. Kris Allen & Adam Lambert
5. Nadya Suleman
6. Carrie Prejean
7. Governor Mark Sanford
8. Portuguese Water Dog
9. Falcon Heene
10. Sonia Sotomayor

Top 10 Science-Related Searches for 2009
1. Swine Flu/H1N1
2. Solar Eclipse
3. Perseid Meteor Shower
4. Conficker Worm
5. NASA Space Shuttle
6. Tsunami
7. Stem Cell
8. Bermuda Triangle
9. Climate Change
10. Hubble Space Telescope

Top 10 Searched Sports Teams/Athletes for 2009
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Manny Pacquiao
3. Maria Sharapova
4. Danica Patrick
5. New York Yankees
6. Los Angeles Lakers
7. Gina Carano
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Anna Kournikova
10. Serena Williams

Top 10 Searched Music Artists for 2009
1. Michael Jackson
2. Britney Spears
3. Beyonce
4. Miley Cyrus
5. Rihanna
6. Lady Gaga
7. Taylor Swift
8. Jessica Simpson
9. Mariah Carey
10. Vanessa Hudgens

Top 10 Searched Politicians for 2009
1. Barack Obama (more than double the next contender)
2. Sarah Palin
3. George W. Bush
4. Hillary Clinton
5. Arnold Schwarzenegger
6. Nancy Pelosi
7. Ted Kennedy
8. Corazon Aquino
9. Prince William
10. Charlie Wilson

Site: http://yearinreview.yahoo.com/2009/moments