Host (Viktor Dremsizov): Up next is a very interesting and diverse discussion: the European Football Championship, Carlos Nassar, "Gundi – Legend of Love," and Dubai chocolate – these are just some of the things Bulgarians searched for most on Google over the past year.

Host (Maria Konstantinova): According to the search engine, Bulgarians often ask how to deal with multiple loans and what a psychopath is. We'll discuss what interests us the most with PR expert Maxim Behar, PhD and psychologist Mihail Mihaylov. Hello!

Maxim Behar: Good morning!

Host: Good morning! From what we see in this study, are the results as they seem? Is our nation primarily united by sports, sports events, and sports figures from the past year? For instance, Carlos Nassar, a sports personality, ranks first. Mr. Behar, what do you think about this?

Maxim: It's not just that. This study is slightly different from what we've seen in previous years. Overall, I feel that the image of the average Bulgarian is becoming very pragmatic. People now want to know how to boil an egg or make Dubai chocolate.

Host: It's trendy and modern.

Maxim: Google is increasingly turning into a pragmatic consultant that offers useful advice to Bulgarians. I remember two years ago, we were discussing a playmate model who topped every possible ranking—people were that interested in her. Now, they're curious about making Dubai chocolate. Better times are coming.

Host: Mr. Behar, do you remember the last thing you searched for on Google?

Maxim: I only search for business-related topics. What stands out to me in the trends is the film for the Bulgarian football player Georgi Asparuhov, Gundi, which is tied to sports but goes beyond that. The film's message and identification with Gundi as a character are significant. I remember his matches at the World Cup in England—we watched them on black-and-white TVs. When I discussed the trailer with the filmmakers Ivan and Andrey about a year ago, I told them I doubted many people would understand the film because it's so far in the past. Today, we have football players like Hristo Stoichkov and Dimitar Berbatov—completely different figures. But the film was very successful. It's more than just sports; it's about capturing a fragment of time that many in Bulgaria don't know.

Host: Do Bulgarians have a yearning for the past, for going back and reminiscing about history?

Maxim: No, our society doesn't yearn for the past. We want to see successful Bulgarians, heroes we can aspire to. This film combines creativity, a love story, and sports—all wrapped into one. It's great to see three or four Bulgarian films among the most searched. Another positive is that no politicians are on the list apart from Raya Nazaryan and Maria Gabriel. This means Bulgarians are not interested in politicians.

Host: Let's not overlook culture, especially concerts—they're fascinating. Searches for Bulgarian pop-folk singer Tony Storaro's concert rank first, followed by Ed Sheeran, who filled a stadium. They said we're back on the musical map. Searches also include concerts by Bulgarian pop-folk singer Preslava, Primadonna of Bulgarian Pop Music Lili Ivanova, Andrea Bocelli, and Serbian turbo-folk legend  Ceca Velichkovic, among others. Is this a reflection of our love for Bulgarian culture?

Maxim: Ed Sheeran came and went. He was here for just one evening, filled a stadium, and sang in a language that, ultimately, not everyone in Bulgaria understands. The music is great—he's an excellent musician. Meanwhile, Tony Storaro is more relatable because he is Bulgarian. We'll search for his concerts because he performs far more in Bulgaria than Ed Sheeran. I will return to the topic of politicians because it's interesting, especially amid the chaos happening in Bulgaria. I wouldn't say we're tired of politicians—we're disgusted by them. That, I think, is the accurate word. We see an incredibly low standard across the board. I personally don't believe that a hero or idol capable of captivating all Bulgarians, like Bulgarian football player Dimitar Berbatov or award-winning writer Georgi Gospodinov, could emerge in politics. Politics is a job, a business, or a function that doesn't allow a hero to arise in the current system, which doesn't work. If someone were to figure out how to integrate artificial intelligence into politics—so that it could manage a political party or even a country—then, yes, they could become a role model or an example to follow, but not a politician creating a new party under the current system. The results from the search engine reflect this.

Host: You mention the low standard in Bulgarian politics. How far has it sunk to say we are now disgusted by it?

Maxim: Our politicians keep digging themselves into a hole. Just 4-5 years ago, we couldn't have imagined the current situation—hearing such language from the podium of the highly respected and esteemed Parliament, our beloved National Assembly. Words that wouldn't even be used in a neighborhood pub. Or seeing people threatening, spitting, and even fighting each other. Such behavior is absolutely unacceptable. But it's not just about the atmosphere in Parliament—it's also about the messages we hear from politicians. Bulgaria needs two things: a strong economy—excellent economic management to generate wealth and manage budgets properly, allowing people to live better—and my favorite topic: good branding for Bulgaria abroad. This would help earn respect, attract foreign investment, and boost our competitiveness. I've already encountered dozens of cases proving we are in a highly competitive market—Bulgaria competes with Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland, and sometimes even North Macedonia or Serbia. In such a market, it's very easy for a company to choose another country over Bulgaria.

Host: Mr. Behar, how are Bulgarians' tastes shaped, and are they influenced by social media?

Maxim: In my opinion, 9 out of 10 people get their information online, whether through social media or search engines, and that's perfectly normal. Thankfully, this is happening. People aren't buying thick books to sift through—they're saving time.

I'm very impressed by two things: the study shows that Bulgarians search for things that should be common knowledge. For instance, "How to vote."

Host: Or, "How to boil an egg."

Maxim: The egg-boiling one is the pinnacle. Another one is "How to raise my blood pressure," which is probably the easiest thing to happen in Bulgaria.

Host: Years ago, it was "How to lower my blood pressure." Now it's "How to raise it."

Maxim: That's the easiest thing—just turn on your TV in the morning and watch Parliament. If a significant portion of people in Bulgaria don't know how to boil an egg, a generation that lacks basic knowledge is emerging. Thankfully, there's Google and online media to fill the gap. However, I find it interesting—why we can't boil eggs, or why do we want to raise our blood pressure, for example?

Host: What stands out as a conclusion we can draw from Google searches? Is it that sports and sports figures unite us?

Maxim: More so, we're interested in things that weren't even on our radar just a few years ago—not just sports.

Host: Now sports are overtaking politics.

Maxim: Sports have always united us. If we go back to 1994, when Bulgaria became a quarter-finalist in the FIFA World Cup, I had never seen what I call a "Happy Nation." I've never seen so many joyful people in one place as in Bulgaria during the summer of 1994. Hopefully, we'll experience more moments like that in our lifetime. But now, this study shows that we're also united by purely economic, pragmatic problems or issues we want to solve through online media—how to manage loans, how to get better loan terms, and so on. Thankfully, social media exists. In a few years, everything will be handled by artificial intelligence. We won't even use a search engine; instead, we'll provide AI with a few topics in January, and it will periodically inform us about what to do. And let me tell you, these are great developments. They simplify our lives and, at the same time, offer a snapshot of what represents the average Bulgarian or provide some sort of profile of people in Bulgaria. Hopefully, politicians will read this data, as it should be very interesting for them to understand what their voters want.

Host: Thank you very much for this conversation!

 

Watch the full interview here.