Google, which recently released its top searched terms for the year 2008 by Singapore users, reported a large increase in searches related to the economic crisis.

According to the company, terms such as 'recession' and 'financial crisis' saw significant spikes in search volume in September and October of 2008, when global markets were suffering. The term 'recession' saw a 271 per cent increase compared to other months in the same year, while 'financial crisis' saw a 138 per cent increase.

Yet another indication that Singaporean users are getting more budget-conscious is the 118 per cent increase in the number of search queries for the word 'spree'.

In the local context, a spree refers to the phenomenon of individuals banding together to make a singular, large order from a particular merchant. Such activities are usually organised via virtual communities such as forums, and participants benefit from lower prices that result from the bulk purchase and shared shipping costs.

Google said this increase, coupled with the 16 per cent increase in the number of queries for the word 'cheap', reflects Singaporeans' growing Internet savviness, in their bid to source the cheapest deals.