Google top search trends 2018: Is Facebook and Instagram in trouble?

By Sarah Parsons | Published: 12-Dec-2018

Meghan Markle was among the top search queries, but Google suggests Instagram and Facebook is on its way out

Google has released the annual results of its Year in Search 2018, and social media detoxes were among the most talked about topics in Britain.

For the first time “how to delete Instagram” and “how to delete Facebook” – in fifth and sixth place respectively – made it into the top ten queried list on the search engine service.

“How to get the old Snapchat back” claimed the fourth spot of most popular ‘how to’ questions of 2018.

Facebook sparked concern after US$119bn was wiped off its market value thanks to its first-ever decline in users in Europe in July.

The Mark Zuckerberg-founded company reported three million users in Europe abandoned the social network.

The Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal and the introduction of Europe’s strict new content regulation GDPR has been attributed to the drop.

Meanwhile, Facebook-owned Instagram usage is said to be on the upward trajectory.

The co-founder of Reddit, a website known as “the front page of Internet”, warned that social networks have reached saturation point.

"I really believe that we've hit peak social," said Alexis Ohanaian, speaking at the Business Insider’s Ignition Conference last week. “We’ve reached the ceiling.”

Meghan mania

(via Getty Images)

(via Getty Images)

Meghan Markle was the most searched-for person on Google for the second year running.

The former Suits actress-turned-Duchess of Sussex came second to the World Cup as the overall winner of Google searches in the UK.

Her marriage to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, together with the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank helped “Royal Wedding” to become the top news event of year.

“Royal Baby” and “GDPR” were among the top three news events of the year, according to the Californian firm.


Here's a breakdown of the top Google Searches 2018 UK:

UK Top Trending Queries

  1. World Cup
  2. Meghan Markle
  3. Royal Wedding
  4. Black Panther
  5. Roxanne Pallett
  6. Fortnite
  7. Demi Lovato
  8. Ant McPartlin
  9. A Star Is Born
  10. Khloe Kardashian

UK Top Trending ‘How To…?’ Queries

  1. How to watch Fury vs. Wilder?
  2. How to floss dance?
  3. How to watch the Champions League final?
  4. How to get the old Snapchat back?
  5. How to delete Instagram?
  6. How to delete Facebook?
  7. How to buy Ripple?
  8. How to bleed radiators?
  9. How to put lights on a Christmas tree?
  10. How to solve a Rubik’s Cube?

UK Top Trending ‘What Is…?’ Queries

  1. What is Bitcoin?
  2. What is GDPR?
  3. What is an ibex?
  4. What is a nerve agent?
  5. What is the Commonwealth?
  6. What is Diwali?
  7. What is upskirting?
  8. What is UEFA Nation’s League?
  9. What is the Brexit deal?
  10. What is Vero?

UK Top Trending People

  1. Meghan Markle
  2. Roxanne Pallett
  3. Demi Lovato
  4. Ant McPartlin
  5. Khloe Kardashian
  6. Alexis Sanchez
  7. Alex Ferguson
  8. Logan Paul
  9. Sylvester Stallone
  10. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

UK Loss List

  1. Avicii
  2. Alfie Evans
  3. Dale Winton
  4. Stephen Hawking
  5. Mac Miller
  6. George Bush
  7. Stan Lee
  8. XXXTentacion
  9. Aretha Franklin
  10. Verne Troyer

UK Top Trending News Events

  1. Royal Wedding
  2. Royal Baby
  3. GDPR
  4. Jeremy Thorpe
  5. Spice Girls
  6. Carillion
  7. Australian flu
  8. Hurricane Florence
  9. Stormy Daniels
  10. iPhone XR

UK Top Trending Sporting Events

  1. The World Cup
  2. Wilder vs Furyv
  3. Grand National
  4. Wimbledon
  5. Winter Olympics
  6. Ryder Cup
  7. Commonwealth Games
  8. Super Bowl
  9. Joshua vs. Parker
  10. Cheltenham

UK Top Trending Movies

  1. Black Panther
  2. A Star Is Born
  3. Avengers Infinity War
  4. Deadpool 2
  5. Venom
  6. The Greatest Showman
  7. Bohemian Rhapsody
  8. A Quiet Place
  9. Mamma Mia 2
  10. The Meg

UK Top Trending TV Shows

  1. I’m a Celebrity
  2. Killing Eve
  3. The Bodyguard
  4. Love Island
  5. Celebrity Big Brother
  6. Big Brother
  7. The Cry
  8. Dancing On Ice
  9. The Haunting of Hill House
  10. Hard Sun

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