Microsoft's Bing on Monday released its annual list of most-searched terms for 2011, and pop star Justin Bieber beat out reality star Kim Kardashian for the title of most-searched person, while the Kinect sensor for Xbox was the most-searched gadget.
A multi-million dollar wedding and highly publicized divorce 72 days later wasn't enough to keep Kardashian in the top spot this year, though fascination with her antics "remains strong," Microsoft said. Bieber's various exploits, however, helped push the singer from number six last year to number one.
"Kim Kardashian almost defended her 2010 title, coming in second as the most searched person on Bing in 2011," Microsoft said. "Unfortunately for Kim, the Bieber fever turned out to be contagious, dominating 2011 and making Justin Bieber the most searched person on Bing."
Proximity to Bieber can also help your search prowess; Bieber's girlfriend Selena Gomez jumped from number to 50 to 11 this year.
Search dominance, however, doesn't automatically guarantee longevity. As Microsoft noted, six of the top 10 most-searched people in 2010 fell off the list in 2011: Sandra Bullock, Jesse James, Michael Jackson, Tiger Woods, Barack Obama and Kate Gosselin. Taking their place were Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Megan Fox, and Miley Cyrus.
Lopez did not even make the top 50 in 2010, but her return to the spotlight via American Idol and a new album—not to mention a divorce—propelled her to number five.
Pop culture aside, the top five most popular tech terms included Kinect, Kindle, PlayStation, iPhone 5, and iPad. As Microsoft noted, the third most-searched product doesn't even exist; it materialized in October as the iPhone 4S. Also on the list was the Wii, iPad 2, Nook, Windows Phone 7, and MacBook Pro.
The biggest news stories of the year, meanwhile, was the Casey Anthony trial, followed by the death of Osama bin Laden, and Hurricane Irene. There was also the Japan hurricane, the death of singer Amy Winehouse, the devastating midwest tornados, the Conrad Murray trial, the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Republican presidential candidates, and the anniversary of the Haiti earthquake.
Microsoft has a full rundown of the most-popular terms in various categories on its blog, including sports stars, musicians, TV shows, movies, and more.