How South Africans use Google
by Steve Mathew
Google has just announced their 2008 Zeitgeist, and like most years I am as perplexed as ever.
In case you’re not sure what Google Zeitgeist is - it’s the top search phrases for the year across the world. (And most years the list includes all the usual suspects - Britney, Paris Hilton and Brad. Except this year. Yep, at last, they don’t feature in the top 10. This is progress folks! A sign that civilisation as we know it - is advancing. Oh, wait, not so fast - what’s Sarah Palin doing at No. 1 - damn.
Anyway, I digress. Lets move on to the top searches that South Africans did in 2008.
Most Popular Searches South Africans did on Google in 2008
1. facebook
2. cape times
3. games
4. map
5. yahoo
6. news
7. jobs
8. google
9. gmail
10. pictures
So, the big blue Facebook at number 1 position is expected. Well, sort of. I mean why are you searching for them? Surely you can just type www.facebook.com into the URL bar and voila you’re on their site? Why go to Google, type in “facebook” hit search… wait for the results to show, then click on the top link on the results page, and wait for Facebook to load?
This really reinforces my opinion that South Africans think the Google search page IS the internet. The URL bar in the top of the browser is just too technical for the masses - “all that http:// stuff… and is it .co.za or .com - argh - let’s just go to Google and ask them to re-direct me”. I can see how it happens.
But folks, look at position 5. Yahoo. Huh? So, you’re on Google and you’re searching for Yahoo. That’s just weird. Call Ripley’s…
Wait, it get’s weirder… at number 8 we have…. drum roll… “google”. This just does it for me. “Let’s go to Google, and er, search for google”. What are you thinking folks? It’s not just a few of you. Millions and millions of searches on Google for google!! This is so bamboozling for me, I can’t even think of a “reason” that people might do this. Hell, I can’t even think of a good analogy… sort of like switching on the lights to see where the light switch is.
Finally at number 4… “map”. Yes, South Africans are lost. It seems everyone has a Garmin, and those who don’t, look for maps on Google (the poor man’s GPS). Except, dear Google, you are not helping us South Africans one little bit on the map front. Google’s maps of SA are bordering on useless.
So, dear Google, as you can see millions of us here in SA are lost, and we ask you everyday for directions, and your maps don’t even have most urban roads. This, big G is a business opportunity for you. I am sure you know this. But you’re not hearing our pleas for help. It’s been years now since you launched Google Maps. We even have iPhones here in SA now with GPS and useless Google Maps.
You even launched Google Map Maker so we can “roll our own maps” and listed 164 countries who can make their own maps. But not us. Hell, even Lesotho is listed (do they have roads?). But SA only has (some) major roads and no geocoding, no street view, no driving directions, nada. Even Liechtenstein has the works.
Come on guys, get it together!
