Steve Jobs

Cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp has claimed the top spot on SA’s top 10 list of fastest rising searches for 2011, according to Google’s Zeitgeist.

Zeitgeist gives insight into global, regional, past and present search trends on the search engine.
WhatsApp was the fastest growing search last year. According to a survey conducted by Cape Town-based research firm ikapadata among 715 township residents, 12% of respondents use the cross-platform messenger.

In terms of instant messaging, SMS is still king among 98% of respondents. MXit is, however, used by 45% of the respondents, and only 10% are using BlackBerry Messenger.

The Rugby World Cup and the Royal Wedding made second and third on the list, while fourth place was taken by social networking giant Facebook.

The ikapadata study shows that 55% of respondents have Facebook accounts, compared to 50% with MXit accounts. “This is really big news, as until now, MXit has been considered the social media tool of choice among young South Africans from low-income backgrounds.”

However, of the about 4.2 million Facebook users in SA, only 3.2 million visit the site, according to a study released in October by World Wide Worx and information analyst Fuseware.

Co-author of the report and MD of information analysts at Fuseware, Michal Wronski, says: “This is partly a factor of many users moving on once the novelty of the site has worn off, as well as a result of the fickle nature of the youth market.”

iPhone 5 ranked eighth on the list of fastest rising searches in 2011, and late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was 10th.

The list of fastest rising people searched for in 2011 in SA includes late singer Amy Winehouse, Steve Jobs, and Nelson Mandela.