It's amazing what Google's Autocomplete feature can tell you about the kinds of things that people are searching for and what they find important. It is also interesting to observe differences in different countries.
Google's Autocomplete guesses what you're looking for based on the most popular searches, giving you an idea of what other people are searching for. It also gives you an idea of the kind and quantity of content that is on the Web by listing the number of results for each search phrase.
I thought I'd see what people in my home country of Jordan are searching for, so I used the terms "what," "when," "why," and "how" in Arabic ما، متى، لماذا، كيف in Google Jordan domain.
The results were pretty interesting. Here they are with the screen shots.
Google's Autocomplete guesses what you're looking for based on the most popular searches, giving you an idea of what other people are searching for. It also gives you an idea of the kind and quantity of content that is on the Web by listing the number of results for each search phrase.
I thought I'd see what people in my home country of Jordan are searching for, so I used the terms "what," "when," "why," and "how" in Arabic ما، متى، لماذا، كيف in Google Jordan domain.
The results were pretty interesting. Here they are with the screen shots.
What
What is love?
What is masturbation?
What is the name of Satan's wife?
What is Facebook?
What is the religious decree regarding watching porn?
What does the name Remas mean?
What is the meaning of love?
What is sex?
What are the seven wonders of the world?
What is real love?
Why
What is masturbation?
What is the name of Satan's wife?
What is Facebook?
What is the religious decree regarding watching porn?
What does the name Remas mean?
What is the meaning of love?
What is sex?
What are the seven wonders of the world?
What is real love?
Why
Why do men sleep after having sex?
Why does eating camel meat invalidate wudu?
Why does sleeping make you taller?
Why do we love?
Why do I love you?
Why is the sky blue?
Why don't you pray?
Why where the righteous khalifas named that name?
Why is Taraweeh prayer named by that name?
Why do men like big breasts?
When
Why does eating camel meat invalidate wudu?
Why does sleeping make you taller?
Why do we love?
Why do I love you?
Why is the sky blue?
Why don't you pray?
Why where the righteous khalifas named that name?
Why is Taraweeh prayer named by that name?
Why do men like big breasts?
When
When is Eid al Adha for 2009?
When does pregnancy happen?
When does pregnancy happen after the period?
When will the Tawjihi results come out for 2010?
When did Umniah reach 1.5 million subscribers?
When will you know how much I love you, man? (song)
When do the signs of pregnancy begin?
When does a fetus's heart start beating?
When did Urban II declare the first Crusades?
When will the construction of the Eiffel tower be completed?
How
How do you make someone love you?
How can you know your personality?
How can you know who likes you?
How can you tell if someone is lying?
How do you deal with someone you love?
How does pregnancy happen?
How do you become a millionaire?
How can you learn English?
How can you make a man love you?
How can you make a girl love you?
I also did a survey of these search words in the international Arabic Google page. I found little differences.
I then did a survey of how these phrases come up in other Arab countries. The results were similar, however occasionally you see differences that are culture and country specific.
Sex seems to be a pretty common result. Although sex is also popular in Western countries (it held the number one spot as a search word for many years), the topic among Arab users takes a different angle. Most of the question are about masturbation, virginity and pregnancy. They are wondering what is love and sex and whether it is religiously acceptable to watch porn.
I then did a survey of how these phrases come up in other Arab countries. The results were similar, however occasionally you see differences that are culture and country specific.
Sex seems to be a pretty common result. Although sex is also popular in Western countries (it held the number one spot as a search word for many years), the topic among Arab users takes a different angle. Most of the question are about masturbation, virginity and pregnancy. They are wondering what is love and sex and whether it is religiously acceptable to watch porn.
This is understandable since sex education, although taught in Arab schools, does not address these kinds of topics openly and extensively. Kids resort to the Internet for answers to these important questions and issues because they cannot discuss them easily with people they know.
Another reason for these kinds of results is that the demographics of people who use the Internet in the Arab world. There are more young people in the Arab World then there are in Western countries and these Arab youth use the Internet more than the older generation.
Also interesting is the number of religious questions. Something you wouldn't find perhaps in this amount in non-Muslim countries. It is another indication of how influential Islam is in Arabs' lives. Whether this is good or bad is another question.
I would imagine that some of these results could be due to a particular event that sparked a great number of people searching for an answer such as a question on a trivia TV show or a question in an exam that is taken on a national level, etc.
These bazaar results are not only in Arabic countries. Search for "why" in Google's general English page (google.com) and Autocomplete will come up with the following:
Why do men have nipples?
Why is the sky blue?
Why is my poop green?
Why are black people so loud?
Why did I get married too?
Why can't I own a Canadian?
Why do dogs eat poop?
Why do cats purr?
Why did the chicken cross the road?
Here are the Google domains for specific Arabic countries. Search for the words "what," "when," "why," and "how" in Arabic. You'd be surprised at the Autocomplete suggestions. I have listed notable questions I found on various Google Domains for Arab countries:
Note: search results vary by time and date
Lebanon
http://www.google.com.lb/
When is the Day of Judgment?
When is the end of the world?
Why was the Al Assi river named that name?
Why did God create man?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
How do I get rid of my belly?
Morocco
http://www.google.co.ma/
Why philosophize?
Why did philosophy emerge among the Greek?
What is philosophy?
What is the meaning of philosophy?
Why should we get married?
How do I pray?
How do I put on makeup?
What are the rights of children?
When did Morocco gain independence?
When was King Muhammad VI born?
What is freedom?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
Saudi Arabia
http://www.google.com.sa/
When will the stocks for Buruj Insurance be traded?
When will the stocks for Al Khaleejia be traded?
What is metaphysics?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
How do I know my sign?
Why was I blocked on MSN?
Egypt
http://www.google.com.eg/
Why did they become Muslim?
Why are people around you stupid?
When was the first World Cup?
What is masturbation for girls?
What are the signs of the Day of Resurrection?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
Bahrain
http://www.google.com.bh/
Why was Bahrain named by that name?
Why is my period late?
When did Bahrain become a kingdom?
When was oil discovered in Bahrain?
When was the fortress of Arrad built?
When did Bahrain gain independence?
Why do problems happen between people?
What is the name of the devil that comes to you while you're praying?
Oman
http://www.google.com.om/
When did Oman become a member of the United Nations?
When do you become like Omani women?
When did Sultan Qaboos rise to power in Oman?
What are drugs?
Why do we yawn?
Why was the Empty Quarter desert named by that name?
United Arab Emirates
http://www.google.ae/
When did Sheik Zayed die?
When was Sheik Zayed born?
Why is pork forbidden?
What was Abu Dhabi's called in the past?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
Israel's Arabic page
http://www.google.co.il/
Why do we need to preserve the dead sea from drying?
Why were Hebrews named that name?
What is violence?
When did Mahmoud Darwish die?
Palestinian Territories
http://www.google.ps/
When was the Islamic University in Gaza established?
When will the Rafah border crossing open?
When was the University of Hebron established?
When was the An-Najah National University established?
Why was the Beshara Church named that name?
Why was the Al Aqsa mosque named that name?
Why should we study psychology?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
Kuwait
http://google.com.kw/
When did Kuwait become a member in OPEC?
When did export of oil begin after independence?
Why was Egypt in English named by that name?
What are wet dreams?
What are the factors that contribute to the rise of CO2 levels?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
When is Eid al Adha in Libya?
Why was Qatar named by that name?
Why do we study history?
How can I know if I'm a virgin?
Why do we study history?
How can I know if I'm a virgin?
Why was the Great Wall of China built?
How do I memorize the Quran?
How do you please your husband in bed?
How do I become smart?
What is the religious verdict on masturbation?
How do I know if I'm a virgin?
3 comments:
أبدعت لينة
سماء
Very interesting observation!
Lol! I think it's clear that Arab parenting skills need improvement.
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