In the four years of YouTube search data we poured through, this summer has had the two largest spikes in search interest for the word "riot" we've ever seen.

This week, "london riots" has been the relative #1 rising search overall globally on YouTube, creating the big jump depicted in the chart below, which shows relative interest dating back to January 2008. The smaller, but still substantial jump earlier in the summer is from the post-Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver, which also spurred significant interest from YouTube viewers.



More dramatic user-generated footage from the riots:

• On the Scene Footage: UK Rioting Spreads
  
• On the Scene Footage: London Riot