SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Do you think you know what TV show or musical artist captured Utahns’ attention in 2023? If you guessed HBO’s “The Last of Us” and Taylor Swift, you would be correct.
At least, that is, according to data released by Google which revealed the most searched-for topics across the United States. Each year, the dominating online search engine breaks down what searches trended across the nation over the last year.
It may come as absolutely no surprise that Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which kicked off in March this year, topped Google’s “tour” searches, not only in Utah but nationwide. The nation was also captivated by HBO’s video-game-to-TV adaptation “The Last of Us.” The series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey also topped the nation’s search history.
Of course, the year wasn’t just about Taylor Swift. Utah also searched out information on SZA’s SOS Tour and Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. “The Golden Bachelor” and Apple TV’s “Shrinking” also got Utahns talking on Google wanting to know more about the shows.
Utah’s search went outside of entertainment as well. According to Google’s “near me” search data, Utahns were most interested in knowing their air quality or if there was a nearby pawn shop. Nearby golf courses and pilates locations also made the Top 5 in “near me” searches.”
“Rodeos near me,” however, is unique to Utah. Google said that Salt Lake City, Utah is the only place in the United States with a search for nearby rodeos as a top trending search.
It was a much more active year for Utah compared to 2022, when Utahn’s top “near me” searches were for roast beef sandwiches and chicken sandwiches.
So how did Utah compare to the rest of the country?
Nationwide, Americans showed most searched for actor Jeremy Renner and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. Renner searches spiked after his life-threatening injury to start 2023 while Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field around the same time.
Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami FC, the home for soccer legend and icon Lionel Messi, topped the search for sports nationwide.
His debut game against Liga MX’s Cruz Azul even broke into Utah’s Top 5 “versus” searches.
