Beware: The task of looking back at 2008 could induce whiplash.

Last year, I introduced our annual review of search trends and touched on the subject on how a billion (or so) searches can sketch a portrait of a culture in motion. The motion this year was volatile, to say the least, what with the American presidential elections, the Beijing Olympics, and a doggedly stubborn global economic morass.

This time, the Yahoo! Year in Review is even bigger and more ambitious, the better to reflect the potent issues that rumbled in news and searches. Editors and producers from throughout Yahoo!--news, sports, Buzz Log, Buzz, and much more--investigated the themes that emerged for you this year, including economy, politicians, Olympians, and influential women.

While 2007 was a time of environmental activism and a tech evolution, this year showed your growing sophistication and reliance on the Web in the political process. From the primaries to Election Day, you went online in droves to register to vote, donate campaign funds, check out primary results, figure out what a delegate was, scrutinize the Electoral College, and vet the candidates, their associates, and even their family members. Likely (factcheck.org) and unlikely (snopes) sources became your stop to check rumors.

And lest you think I'm avoiding the subject--yes, Britney Spears has once again emerged as the top search in 2008. Even the music artist's story this time around symbolized the year's sober mood...and she has some fascinating company in the Top 10.

Visit our site to check out other trends in search and news. To compare what intrigued you in 2007 versus 2008, take a gander at the Flashback overview, which also links to previous years' lists. Finally, a late-breaking blog will introduce more top 10 lists of 2008 throughout December.

Vera H-C Chan
Senior Editor, Buzz Log