Want to know if you have swine flu or if Lady Gaga is really a man? Just Ask Jeeves

Lady Gaga is top 5 in the charts again – but this time it’s because internet users want to know if she is really a man! The flamboyant pop singer’s habit of constantly wearing dark sunglasses and wacky outfits has sparked internet rumours that she may really be a ‘he’.

Now the number of queries about her sexuality has earned her an award for one of the 'questions of the year’ by internet search engine Ask Jeeves.

The list compiled from over 20 millions searches a month, gives a real insight into what is on the minds of internet users.

Top on the list of rising searches for 2009 is ‘What is Twitter?’ and at number two is ‘Have I got swine flu?’ as the pandemic has swept the country this year.

While Lady Gaga’s sexuality is third on the list of rising questions, at number four is ‘Who is Aleksandr Orlov?’ the animated Russian meerkat in TV adverts for an internet comparison website.

His catchphrase "Simples" has become a favourite among TV viewers and led to scores of queries from search engine users.

Similarly 'When will the recession end?' is also among the top ten rising searches, coupled with ‘Where is my nearest Primark?” for those on a budget.

Conspiracy theorists and die-hard fans who refuse to believe put ‘Is Michael Jackson dead?' at number 5 after his sudden demise in June.

After the death of Jade Goody this year too, the number ten spot is taken by the rising popularity of questions about cervical cancer.

Nadia Kelly, a spokesman for Ask Jeeves, said: "Last year the identity of the Stig from Top Gear was on everyone's minds.

 "This year we have had a wide variety of unusual searches. It proves that more people than ever are turning to internet search engines for answers to not only everyday things, but weird and wacky subjects too.”

Ask Jeeves' fastest rising searches of 2009:

1. What is Twitter?
2. Have I got swine flu?
3. Is Lady Gaga a man?
4. Who is Aleksandr Orlov?Have I got Ha
5. Is Michael Jackson dead?
6. Where is my nearest Primark?
7. Who is the father of Heather’s baby in EastEnders?
8. What is the Lisbon Treaty?
9. When will the recession end?
10. What is cervical cancer?