Google trends 2020: From queries on COVID-19 and Binod to nepotism, top questions Indians looked up this year

Coronavirus, plasma therapy, CAA, solar eclipse, hantavirus and nepotism — these were some of the top things that Indians asked Google about in 2020. According to Google, queries this year reflected the global shift to working from home and dealing with the pandemic, and subsequently was reflected in ‘What is’ questions people asked Google. As per Google, unlike other years in living memory, 2020 was a question in its own right and the queries that were asked of the search engine reflected more than just cultural fascination. “Each question we asked in 2020 was our attempt to steady ourselves as the ground beneath us shifted,” Google stated. What is Coronavirus? Even though Indian Premier League topped the overall Google trending list in India, globally it was the dreaded coronavirus that everyone searched for , this it is not surprising that the top ‘What is’ searches revolved around the coronavirus. The coronavirus reared its head in a Chinese seafood and poultry market in 2019, and spread to almost all countries around the world, killing millions. First termed as a pneumonia of unknown cause by Chinese authorities, it was identified as a new virus towards the end of last year . As per latest reports , India’s COVID-19 caseload rose to 97.35 lakh on Wednesday, while the number of people who have recuperated from the disease crossed 92 lakh. What is Plasma Therapy and What is COVID-19? ‘What is plasma therapy’ and What is COVID-19’ too trended along with coronavirus as the top five queries people had on Google. Convalescent plasma therapy uses the antibodies found in the blood of people who have recovered from an infection (or convalesced), to treat patients who are infected. Kerala’s Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) was given the nod of approval by the ICMR to begin plasma therapy. However, following subsequent research, AIIMS Delhi stated that convalescent plasma therapy did not show benefit in reducing mortality risk among COVID-19 patients and as per an October report, the ICMR Chief had stated that plasma therapy may soon be scrapped from COVID-19 national treatment protocol. What is Binod? Another major query that Indians had in 2020 was ‘What is Binod’. For the unversed, it is based on a YouTube video Why Indian Comments Section is Garbage (BINOD) that became such a huge rage that top brands and personalities turned it viral and a challenge ensued on Twitter with people and organisations changing their name to Binod. What is CAA However, questions about coronavirus is not the only thing people from India asked Google. The top five queries were rounded off by the question ‘What is CAA’. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 was formally notified as law by the Union Government in January. The Act allows Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Parsi immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who came to India before 31 December, 2014, to get citizenship in India. Indians also had queries about colon infection, solar eclipse and NRC. What is Nepotism? The top 10 queries were rounded off with one that had a Bollywood angle. A lot of Indians asked Google, ‘What is nepotism’. Soon after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput from suicide on 14 June, a number of celebrities reignited the debate over nepotism and the difficulties an outsider faces in the Indian film industry. The debate has been simmering in Bollywood since 2017, when Kangana Ranaut accused Karan Johar of nepotism on his talk show. After Rajput’s death, she alleged that the late actor was a victim of nepostism and Bollywood cartels.