Google now processes over 40,000 searches every second on average. To put that into perspective, that's over 3,500,000,000 searches per day. With billions of daily Google searches, what are people looking for when they search for Malta? Well, that's where autocomplete comes to the rescue.
Google's Autocomplete services is the reason behind your search suggestions. Put quite simply, the service – which is intended to speed up your search interaction – predicts what you're looking for by suggesting the most popular search terms related to what is being typed in the search box.
So yes – these predictions are from real people using Google. And here's what these real people have been searching for when it comes to Malta. Be warned; some of this stuff is pretty weird.
While most of the suggestions are based on geography (like which continent Malta is in or whether we're in another country ourselves), the first result is quite disconcerting.
More than half the search results are negatively-tinged. While some are a little subtle (some people might hate Malta's heat, but we're willing to bet millions others love it), others are more harsh.
We still can't wrap our heads around, "Why is Malta so English" though. Also, it's only a couple of predictions above "Why is Malta not part of Italy?"
From various serious questions about whether Malta is a tax haven or not, to the most essential question – "Is Malta a country?"
Another very mixed bag.
People wanted to know what Malta exports (potatoes, of course!), but they also searched for what it means "in the Bible", and, even better, what it looks like.
Because you know, it's not like Google has a specific section solely dedicating to searching for photos and images.
Some questions like when Malta will be on Google Street View have now been answered, but others are a bit more ominous.
Especially considering "When will ISIS attack Malta?" is on the list.
"Waar kan ik in Malta het beste boodschappen doen?"
Die vraag krijgen we bij NedMalta regelmatig — en eerlijk is eerlijk: er is geen simpel antwoord. Het hangt af van wat je koopt, waar je woont en hoe flexibel je bent.
Bij NedMalta delen we graag de echte ervaringen van Nederlanders die de stap hebben gezet om in Malta te wonen en te werken. Of je nu droomt van een tussenjaar in het buitenland, werken op een zonnig eiland of gewoon benieuwd bent hoe het leven hier écht is: deze persoonlijke verhalen helpen je op weg.
In deel 1 van deze serie begonnen we met de feiten: cijfers, internationale kritiek en hoe Malta scoort binnen Europa.
In deel 2 keken we naar concrete gebeurtenissen die het vertrouwen in politiek en instituties op de proef stelden.
En in deel 3 bespraken we de ongeschreven regels die het dagelijks leven op Malta sturen.
