Teacher Angkana Sabngabal, or “Kru Angkana,” is not even a celebrity in the traditional sense, but she became the most-Googled person in Thailand in 2012 thanks to a viral Youtube clip made by one of her students.
In Google Zeitgeist’s recently released report on the most popular search terms in Thailand, Kru Angkana proved more popular than many big stars such as “VJ Woonsen” Virithipa Pakdeeprasong, Channel 3 actress “Yaya” Urassaya Sperbund and actor Nadech Kugimiya.
In the clip, her name was mentioned in one threatening sentence: “This story will certainly be heard by Kru Angkana,” stated Tod, her grade 7 student who was furious at his friends for kicking him out of the “We are 1/9” group on Facebook.
The clip has gained over three million views since it was uploaded in April. But far beyond the online impact created by the catchy phrase, it also prompted debates about cyber bullying issues.
In the word category, file sharing and storage website 4shared ranked first, which should certainly go a long ways toward aggravating major music companies such as GMM Grammy and RS who have been attempting to get rid of copyright infringers.
Second place went to Rang-Ngao, Channel 3’s remake soap opera that portrayed the story of a twin sister trying to take revenge for her dead sibling. The show ranked first in the TV show category.
SimSimi ranked third on the list owing to its popularity earlier this year. The artificial intelligence conversation program stirred up controversy by creating responses containing user-generated rude words and criticisms of leading politicians, including Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Gangnum Style ranked fourth in this category, but secured the first spot in the song category.
Google Zeitgeist revealed 16 different rankings for Thailand. The following two lists are for words and individuals.
Top 10 most searched-for words
1. 4shared
2. Rang-Ngao
3. Simsimi
4. Gangnum Style
5. Vinatee Diew Taonan, a song by Kao Jirayu La-ongmanee
6. Rom See Tao, a song by Whatcharawalee
7. Pin-A-Nong, a Channel 7 soap opera
8. Dragon Nest
9. Kizi
10. Buang, a Channel 3 soap opera
Top 10 most searched-for people
1. Kru Angkana
2. VJ Woonsen’s wedding
3. Yaya Urassaya Sperbund
4. Nadech Kugimiya
5. Tumtim Malika Jongwattana
6. Luang Pu That
7. Momay Pa Plearn
8. Luang Phor Nigerian
9. SNSD
10. Clash
Below is the clip that put Kru Angkana on the spotlight.
