BackCoronavirus, IPL most-searched on Google in 2020
IPL, US polls, lockdowns, locust attack, Beirut explosion and bushfires in Australia were among the most searched news events. Joe Biden, Arnab Goswami, Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor were among 2020's most-searched personalities
PremiumWith covid-19 severely disrupting lives, ‘coronavirus’ featured among the most-searched words in India on search engine Google this year.
While the excitement around the Indian Premier League (IPL) made it the top trending query, presidential elections in the US also triggered significant searches along with Bihar and Delhi assembly polls. US President-elect Joe Biden was among the top trending personalities, along with TV journalist Arnab Goswami, as per Google India's 'Year in Search' results, announced on Wednesday.
IPL, US elections, lockdowns, locust attack, the Beirut explosion and bushfires in Australia were among the most searched news events.
Interestingly, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM Kisan Scheme), which provides monetary support to farmers, also made it to the trending charts.
Following Joe Biden and Arnab Goswami, was Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor as the most-searched personalities this year. Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, actress Kangana Ranaut, Rhea Chakraborty, and Ankita Lokhande also featured in the list of trending personalities. Other international personalities that made it to the list include North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un, Afghan cricketing sensation Rashid Khan and India-origin US Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris.
Searches were largely centred around 'How to' and 'What is', reflecting concerns related to work-from-home and dealing with the pandemic. 'How to make paneer?' and 'How to increase immunity?' topped the list, followed by the distinctive 'How to make dalgona coffee.' 'What is' queries included the baffling 'What is binod?', followed by many virus-related queries such as 'What is plasma therapy?' and 'What is hantavirus?'.
With the lockdown, local searches surged with 'Near me' queries, which was dominated by 'Food shelters near me' followed by 'COVID test near me.' Given most were working remotely, searches for 'Broadband connection near me' and 'Laptop shop near me' figured prominently this year.
Dil Bechara emerged as the top trending movie of 2020, followed by Tamil action-drama Soorarai Pottru. Bollywood biopics like Tanhaji, Shakuntala Devi, and Gunjan Saxena followed. While Laxmii, Baaghi 3, Gulabo Sitabo also dominated, the only Hollywood movie to make it to the list was Extraction. Due in large part to intermittent lockdowns, queries on web series surged this year with Money Heist topping the list, followed by Indian entries like Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, Bigg Boss 14, and Mirzapur 2.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
