Spears also took seventh place on the AltaVista search engine. Search terms have come to signify the hottest people, places and things in pop culture. Web surfers were also eager to learn more about tattoos, the Summer Olympics and the controversial music-swapping technology of Napster. Lycos' end of the year results were similar, with Britney Spears at No. 1, followed by Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon, WWF and N'Sync. In addition to providing a mirror to pop culture, sought-after words reflect the breaking news that Web users most want to read.
Surfers are also keen on Internet-specific technology.