Filipinos’ Google searches for the year 2020 affirmed the Philippines as a basketball nation.
In the Google Year In Search report released on December 10, 2020, the Trending Searches in the Philippines listed basketball teams and games among the most searched terms on the popular browser, despite the halting of game seasons for many months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Google Key Takeaways for the Philippines in 2020 ranked “The Philippines is a basketball nation” as the 2nd most notable search trend, along with Crisis and Response Effort (1st), The Importance of Education (3rd), and Sweet Relief (4th).
The Top 10 Overall Trending Searches on Google Philippines had four basketball-related entries: NBA score (2nd), NBA schedule (6th), Kobe Bryant (7th), Lakers vs Heat (8th).
The American National Basketball Association-related keywords took 9 out of 10 spots in the Trending Searches for Sports, leaving only the 10th spot for the Australian Open 2020 where Filipino teen tennis sensation Alexandra Eala made a historic win as the first Filipina to win the Grand Slam Australian Open Girls Doubles Title that eventually propelled her to Top 4 World Juniors Tennis ranking.
Kobe Bryant, the NBA basketball superstar who tragically passed away this year, was the top searched in the Losses entries and the only personality in the top searches.
Overall Trending Searches
1) US election 2020
2) NBA score
3) coronavirus
4) DepEd Commons
5) Taal Volcano
6) NBA schedule
7) Kobe Bryant
8) Lakers vs Heat
9) first day of school
10) www.reliefagad.ph
Google analysis noted how Filipinos’ search queries in 2020 provide an insight into what mattered most to Filipinos this year and how they navigated the uncertainties and challenges brought about by the pandemic.
More Google search insights for the Year in Search 2020 Philippines:
- Aside from coronavirus-related searches, completing the list are searches related to the Taal Volcano eruption in January, crisis response efforts (www.reliefagad.ph), and even the Department of Education for queries about the commencement of the school year.
- A new category called “Education” emerged this year after a relative spike in academic-related searches as students embraced home-based learning, and looked up lectures and topics online.
- In the Game-related Searches category, breakout mobile games Among Us, Genshin Impact, Valorant, and League of Legends: Wild Rift secured places in the list.
- Filipinos’ love for Hallyu (Korean wave) deepened during the lockdown as they continued to search and enjoy content from their favorite K-pop personalities. K-dramas Crash Landing on You, It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, Start Up, Itaewon Class, The World of the Married, and The King: Eternal Monarch dominated the TV shows category. Academy Award-winning Korean film Parasite along with Train to Busan 2 also took up spots in the top movies list.
- Korean celebrities who starred in this year’s top series dominated the personalities categories. This included fan favorites such as Hyun Bin, Kim Soo-hyun, Park Ji-hoon, Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Go-eun, and Seo Ye-ji, among others.
- Netizens leaned on the helpfulness of Google Search during the pandemic to discover and learn new things. How-to articles and video tutorials were once again popular this year, and among the most searched were related to health such as computing BMI, proper way to wear a surgical mask, and boosting the immune system, as well as hobby-centric topics like making dalgona coffee and leche flan.
“Looking back at the year that was, many Filipinos realized the importance of going digital now more than ever to search for answers and cope with the new changes happening around them. As per the latest SEA e-Conomy report, a significant number of Filipinos tried new digital services and 54% of these new consumers came from non-metro areas,” said Geia Lopez, Analytical Head for Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail, Google Southeast Asia. “Google is committed to making Search constantly helpful to Filipinos as they rely on technology to look for useful and trusted information, and reap the benefits of the digital economy to succeed and grow.”
The year 2020 gave Filipinos more basketball frenzy outside the NBA as the all-time popular Barangay Ginebra bagged a historic Philippine Cup Championship – the basketball team’s first All-Filipino title in 13 years, as UAAP superstars Ricci Rivero and CJ Cansino of the UP Fighting Maroons exchanged tweets that sent netizens abuzz, as Kai Sotto was officially welcomed by the NBA G League, and when Filipino coach Mike Magpayo made his historic first win in US NCAA basketball.
TELL US in the comments below, which of your favorite search words made it to the Google Philippines Top Trending Searches for 2020?
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