Buffy Turns 28: The Show That Invented THE Most Famous Internet Word

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If you’re perusing this text, it’s highly unlikely that you’re unaware of the word we’re discussing. This is the most well-known term in the vast expanse of the Internet, a term so renowned it’s become a verb – Google. However, the origin of this globally recognized word might astonish you. Here’s a rundown on the history of “to google.

How Buffy Changed the Internet

Way back in the ’90s, the internet was largely unexplored, with no social media, streaming yet to materialize, and finding information a tedious task involving countless directories. However, one TV series stood out as being ahead of its time – not only in terms of storytelling but also language. Buffy the Vampire Slayer pioneered a term that would quickly become indispensable: “Google it.

In a 2002 episode, Willow playfully inquired from Buffy, “Have you looked her up on Google yet?” This phrase was quite innovative at the time because it marked one of the earliest uses of ‘Google’ as a verb in popular culture, although its founders had been using it that way internally since 1998. Notably, this significant moment was followed by a typical joke from the baby boomers, assuming that ‘googled’ meant something related to a sexual activity.

The Power of Googling

It’s likely not surprising to you, but here’s another way to put it: You’re probably aware or could assume it, but let me clarify – Google dominates the global search engine market, accounting for over 90%, with Bing trailing behind at less than 4%. This is astonishing considering that a significant number of people in China, approximately 1.4 billion, don’t use Google and instead opt for Baidu as an alternative.

Google handles around 100,000 search inquiries globally every second, with YouTube – a service owned by Google – being the most frequently searched term. This high usage contributes significantly to the immense value of Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, which currently stands at an astounding $2.02 trillion, outstripping the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Spain.

Back in the day, I was never part of the Buffy crowd. Fast forward to today, though, and I’m incredibly thankful to my grandkids for introducing me to the wonders of the internet. They’ve been showing me how to stream episodes of Buffy, and it’s been an amazing experience revisiting that show after all these years! If you watched Buffy back then too, I’d love to hear about your journey rediscovering it in the comments below!

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2025-03-12 15:09