Search results show viewers were glued to inauguration

15:00 21st January 2009

A report on search engine activity during Barack Obama's inauguration speech has thrown up come interesting findings.

Data from Google shows that the number of searches during the time the new US president was speaking dropped dramatically, indicating that many internet users were busy listening to or watching the historic event.

In relation to the specific search terms used on inauguration day, Google said "live inauguration coverage" and "inauguration day 2009 streaming" were two of the top entries, again suggesting that many people were intent on catching live footage of the speech.

Google pointed to the increased number of searches as an indication of online progression in recent years.

According to the search giant: "During the last nine years, the growth of the internet has changed the way the world seeks information.

"From President Bush's first inaugural address in 2001 to his second in 2005, the number of inauguration-related searches increased by more than a factor of ten. From 2005 to today's address, the number grew even more."

The prevalence of search terms such as "streaming" and "video" in connection with the inauguration also represents advances in internet technology, Google said.