Why are people clapping?
Why is mental health important?
These are just a few of the questions people searched Google for answers to in 2020.
Google announced Wednesday that although “coronavirus” was the top trending search worldwide this year, we asked questions more than ever.
And for the first time, the world searched for Black Lives Matter, increasing its trend fivefold over the previous year, wrote Simon Rogers, data editor at Google News Lab. Black Lives Matter ranked No. 10 in the most searched news category. In a related search, “how to be anti-racist” was searched more in 2020 than was “how to be a millionaire.”
“Coronavirus” the word was the most searched term overall and in the news category, but the coronavirus pandemic influenced many categories and standings. “Coronavirus update” and “coronavirus symptoms” were No. 7 and No. 8 in overall search, respectively. “Zoom,” which grew in popularity during pandemic lockdowns, was No. 4 among top searches.
And Tom Hanks was the most searched actor and No. 5 for all people, but most people Googled him after the announcement he and wife Rita Wilson were being treated for the coronavirus.
The pandemic also influenced our recipe searches. Dalgona coffee was the top search, followed by the Greek dish Ekmek (Google it). No. 3 in the ranking, however, was sourdough bread, which it seemed at times everyone was baking.
If the pandemic kept you up at night, you weren’t alone. “Insomnia” was searched more in 2020 than ever before, Google said.
Despite the upheaval of the pandemic, the world didn’t lose its compassion. Searches for “how to help” were higher than ever, with the world wanting to help Beirut, with the Australia fires, Black Lives Matter and during coronavirus.
The untimely death of Kobe Bryant not only made him the top search in the loss category, but also the No. 3 search overall. Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among nine people killed when their helicopter crashed in January. Bryant was followed by former “Glee” star Naya Rivera, who drowned while saving her 4-year-old son, and Chadwick Boseman, the “Black Panther” star who died from cancer at age 43.
Although the recent presidential election was a U.S. event, its interest worldwide propelled it into the No. 2 spot both overall and in the news category, and gave President-elect Joe Biden the top spot and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris the No. 4 slot in the people category.
You can explore all the topics and trends for the year on Google.
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