An incredible change in Google top searches in 2020 has been revealed. Positive terms like "hug," "hope," and "prayer" have reached a new peak and surpassed the previous year's searches.
Words such as "party" and "festival" have also reached a new level low with the lack of web searches. This is the reflection of people's internet searches these last 12 months under the COVID-19 lockdown.
An article from DailyMail revealed an in-depth analysis of the Google top searches in 2020. Google Trends is the unbiased sample of Google's search data. It is anonymous and categorized to measure a particular topic searched across the globe and specified to city-level geography.
Google Trends data can display the data set of anywhere from 2004 to approximately 36 hours ago. DailyMail also gave a picture of the trending searches people have been interested in since the pandemic changed their lives.
Google Top Searches 2020: Hope, Hug and Prayer
Positive terms have shown a dramatic increase in searches, especially for "hugs." This could be directly related to people missing the opportunity to be close with friends and families. The mood has been devastating with the implementation of social distancing and lockdowns.
There is also a surge of searches with keywords "puppy," "barbecue," and "hot tub." This maybe because people have been searching for ways to cope with their lives while locked at home. Some are finding new recreational activities to participate in.
People have also been searching for "sleep" and "dreams" through 2020. Research has discovered that people are experiencing difficulties in sleeping during the days of lockdown. Some find it hard to sleep from having too many troubling thoughts. However, the people who can sleep also experience troubles with intense and longer-lasting dreams due to cabin fever. A psychologist, Professor Mark Blagrove from Swansea University, said that this is due to the lack of stimulation being stuck at home for days without end.
Read Also : Best Areas to Invest After Pandemic
Keywords: Party, Travel Visa and Festival
Some keyword searches that were once trending have taken a turn for the worse. Keywords such as "Party," "Travel Visa," and "Festival" have all taken a sharp drop, creating a new record of low since 2010. People who were once keen on learning where they can travel, move their house, or apply for a universal credit have come to a complete stop in the course of 2020. Instead, the search terms related to the reopening of schools, businesses and non-essential shops were used.
Mental health-related keywords have also taken an increase, especially for words such as "depression" and "panic attack." Concerning their sleeping problems, users have increased their searches for symptoms and cures for these psychological issues.
Google also tracked searchers and questions like "How to make a face mask" and "How to make a hand sanitizer" topping off the list. Clearly, people's lives and their web searches have been affected dramatically by this pandemic.
Google sees these search trends as users trying to connect deeper with others during the lockdown and how searchers are looking for support from others. However, as the year 2020 ends and January 2021 starts, users have now switched from asking "what is coronavirus" to "when will it end."
