Yahoo! Italia has released the top online word searches in Italy in 2012.
The annual classification is an indicator of the times. It reveals ‘Grillo’ among the top 10 most searched for terms, referring to the leader of the MoVimento 5 Stelle (Five Star Movement, M5S) Beppe Grillo, who shocked the country when M5S emerged as the major political party in Sicily during the regional elections. ‘Calculo IMU’ also features and refers to how to calculate an unpopular new property tax.
‘Facebook’, the social network, was the most searched for word for the third year in a row. Italians revealed themselves as technology lovers because ‘iPhone5’ came in ninth, and ‘Twitter’ entered the classification for the first time in 10th place.
The only other personality to feature in the top 10 is Nicole Minetti, a former dental hygienist and ex-Lombardy regional councillor. The one-time showgirl was patronised by ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi and accused of dressing as a nun at one of his bunga bunga parties. In 2011, she was charged with recruiting prostitutes for Berlusconi. Minetti has since said she felt “abandoned” by Berlusconi. In 2012, she attracted particular attention when she donned a purple bikini and a cut-away white swimsuit to strut the catwalk during Milan Fashion Week.
On a more sombre note, ‘terremoto’ (earthquake) made it into the top 10 in seventh position. The keyword’s popularity is a reminder that Italy experiences earthquake tremors frequently, and that in May 2012, two earthquakes hit Emilia Romagna, killing 27 people and injuring approximately 350.
Other keywords to make the top 10 include ‘meteo’ (weather), ‘oroscopo’ (horoscope) and ‘programmi TV’ (TV programmes).
