2016 was not a good year for celebrities. Unlike much of the usual Christmas fanfare that December brings (see What’s Trending – December 2015), much of the Google activity in December was all about the news of George Michael, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher. However, not all Christmas spirit was lost – Facebookers got into the festive celebrations, and a few trending terms on Google managed to sneak their way into the list in the lead up the arrival of the man in the big red suit.

Iconic singer George Michael’s passing shocked the nation when it was reported he had died over the Christmas period at the age of 53. Australians all over the country searched for news on the pop superstar on Boxing Day, when it was announced that he had passed away. Googlers also celebrated his musical legacy by searching for some of his most famous songs on YouTube, including ‘Freedom’, ‘Careless Whisper’ and ‘Last Christmas’, and some of the top related searches included ‘George Michael albums’ and ‘George Michael songs’.

People on Facebook, particularly women, kept the December cheer alive by sharing Christmas joy with their friends and family on the big day. And the celebrations didn’t stop there – New Year’s Eve was also a big topic with Facebookers as they planned their foray into 2017.

Legendary actress Debbie Reynolds, a star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, died of a stroke on 28 December, only one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher passed away. Google searches for the actress spiked in late December after her death particularly from users based in Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne. As Australians sought to celebrate the life of Reynolds by looking up some of her most famous musical roles – such as Singin’ in the Rain, Tammy and the Bachelor and The Unsinkable Molly Brown – they also looked for news on her son, daughter and granddaughter, and sought out stories on other famous stars from the same era, like Elizabeth Taylor.

As the summer got hotter and hotter, so too did the cricket season in Australia. The Big Bash League began in December, as well as the first two Australia vs Pakistan Tests. Australia won by 39 runs in the first test at the Gabba in Brisbane, and again on the Boxing Day Test at the MCG by an innings and 18 runs. Men on Facebook were the most interested in keeping up with the sport.

Carrie Fisher, best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars films, passed away on 27 December after suffering a medical emergency on a plane a few days prior. Facebook stories and Google searches spiked for the much-loved actress and author on 24 December and then again on 27 and 28 December when news of her passing quickly spread amongst fans and across the world. Her legions of fans paid tribute to her memory by fashioning Fisher her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and holding lightsaber vigils in her honour. Australians on the web were also interested in learning more about the star and some of her other work, with popular related queries like ‘Carrie Fisher IMDb’, ‘Carrie Fisher quotes’ and ‘Carrie Fisher books’.

The highly anticipated annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race was held on Boxing Day and drew fans to Google to check out all the details on the day. The race starts in Sydney and finishes in Hobart, Tasmania. The early frontrunner in 2016’s race, Wild Oats XI, was a popular related query but was overtaken in the race by eventual winner Perpetual LOYAL, who sailed into Hobart in record time. Another popular search term on Google was ‘yacht tracker’, with searches peaking on 26 December. Tasmanians were the biggest fans by far, with the rest of the country not showing much interest on Google.

The annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, held in Paris, gained traction with young women on Facebook as the Angels walked the runway in an array of dazzling outfits on 5 December. In 2016, Jasmine Tookes was the model lucky enough to strut her stuff in the $3 million Fantasy Bra.

Google’s Santa Tracker, in its 12th year running in 2016, was very popular with Australians all over the country on Christmas Eve. The tracker follows Santa as he goes all over the world delivering presents, with a counter on the amount of gifts delivered and how many kilometres away Santa is from your location. The people in Australia most excited to see Santa on his merry way to their state were Googlers in Tasmania, the ACT and Western Australia.

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