In April, online trending topics focused on ANZAC Day, the United Airlines fiasco and the divisive Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

Released on Netflix on 31 March, the controversial television series 13 Reasons Why was the number one topic on Google in April. The show follows the fictional story of a high school student who uses cassette tapes and a tape recorder to record thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. The topic was popular Australia-wide on Google, with those in Newcastle, the Gold Coast and Canberra creating the most buzz for the show. Popular related search terms centered on the different characters in the show, with ‘Jeff 13 Reasons Why’, ‘Bryce 13 Reasons Why’ and ‘Zach 13 Reasons Why’ the top related queries.

Easter and Good Friday were the biggest topics on Facebook in April. Women were the most interested in sharing stories and photos of family and friends over the long weekend, as well as showing off their chocolate haul come Easter Sunday.

ANZAC Day is a perennial favourite for Googlers in April, and 2017 was no different. This year, ANZAC Day was also a popular topic on Facebook. Google searches peaked the day before ANZAC Day, and searchers wanted to know if shops were open on the public holiday – specifically Coles, Woolworths, Kmart, IGA and Bunnings. ANZAC Day was a popular search term nationwide, and ‘ANZAC Day service’, ‘dawn service’ and ‘lest we forget ANZAC Day’ were other rising related queries.

The United Airlines PR disaster on 9 April – where a passenger was recorded being dragged from his seat by police officers after the airline needed to make room for crew members on the plane – sparked a global interest in the debacle, and Australia was no exception. Google searches peaked on 11 April – two days after the fiasco occurred. Public interest in the incident ensured this story remained top of mind for Australians on Google and Facebook, and it left a trail of popular related search queries: ‘United Airlines doctor’, ‘United Airlines shares’, ‘United Airlines passenger’ and ‘United Airlines memes’ were some of the most prevalent.

North Korea’s hostile relationship with the USA continued to spiral in April as the country’s ‘Supreme Leader’, Kim Jong-un, also began threatening Australia with nuclear missiles, putting North Korea on Australia’s Google radar. Searches for North Korea peaked and dipped throughout the month, and those in Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT were the most concerned. Related queries included ‘North Korea threatens Australia’, ‘North Korea update’, ‘North Korea evacuation’ and ‘can North Korea missile hit Australia’.

Gordon Ramsay is a personality never far from the spotlight, and he was a popular topic on Facebook in April, likely due to his revamped mobile game becoming a huge hit with smartphone users. His updated game, Restaurant DASH with Gordon Ramsay, has made over $23 million (for comparison’s sake, Kim Kardashian’s hugely popular mobile game made over $20 million). Ramsay’s daughter, Tilly, released her own cookbook on 4 May, which also drew anticipation from Facebook users. The topic was most popular amongst younger women.

International politics remained at the fore of Australians’ minds in April, and Syria was one of the top Google search terms for the month after the United States bombed Syria on 6 April. Related search terms included ‘US strike Syria’, ‘US attack on Syria’ and ‘US bombs Syria’.

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