Google Search Trend Results 2021, Indonesian Society Is Ready To Rise: Momentum Generating Optimism

Pedestrians on the sidewalk of Jl. General Sudirman Jakarta, the Indonesian people according to Google 2021 trends are believed to be able to rise from adversity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)

JAKARTA - Internet search giant Google has re-released Year in Search 2021 which describes what topics are trending in Indonesia this year. The trending Year in Search 2021 data in Indonesia is obtained based on searches until November 30, 2021.

Google Indonesia's Head of Large Customer Marketing, Muriel Makarim said that 2021 will be a challenging period for a number of industries. Considering that in 2021 they are required to be able to adapt to changes in new habits.

"There is a lot of uncertainty, especially because there is a pandemic and very drastic changes, so there are many new trends that we may not have seen in 2018 and 2019," said Muriel in a virtual conference call session, Tuesday, February 22, 2022.

Illustration of Work From Home (WFH), a new habit that the Indonesian people are starting to get familiar with during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: Unsplash)

"This report also provides insight into trends we didn't see two years ago when we started publishing Year in Search reports for brands," continued Muriel.

This report is based on data from Google Trends, the 2020 economy, and Think With Google, which shows a number of general trends that emerged from November 2019 to October 2020. There are eight new keywords that have emerged since the pandemic period, including: swab test, antigen , rapid tests, serology tests, how to wash hands properly, how to make sanitizers, reusable masks, and masks

2020-2021 is a challenging year. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed people to learn about the new coronavirus as well as the recipe for odading or dalgona coffee at home. This can be seen from Google search data in Indonesia for the past year.

Hottest Topics

Google compiles the most searched topics through Year in Search 2021. In general, there are 10 topics that Indonesian internet users searched for the most that year. The topics are the corona virus, PSBB (large-scale social restrictions), PPKM (Enforcement of Community Activity Restrictions), pre-employment cards, folding bicycles, odading, hand sanitizer (hand sanitizer), Glenn Fredly, the song "Lathi" by Weird Genius featuring Sara Fajira, omnibus law, and Google Classroom.

“This shows that 2021 is a time of challenges, changes and questions. However, it can be seen that Indonesians are resilient in facing challenges and changes,” continued Muriel

According to him, the pandemic does not only make the public curious about Covid-19. They also try to understand the issue by seeking further information and related regulations. For example PSBB or PPKM. The corona virus is also a serious topic that is sought after this year.

The tendency of the public to be literate on national issues is also evident. Google believes that this is so that Indonesians can not only follow the conversation, but also understand the issue. The national issues being sought, among others, are the omnibus law, pre-employment cards, and the recession.

Learning at school face-to-face by limiting the number of students and wearing masks is a surefire way to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: Antara)

Some search topics are still related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as "How to Restore the Sense of Smell", "How to Increase Oxygen Saturation", to "Covid-19 Prevention". Many are also looking for the meaning of “What is Insecure” and want to learn more about mental health such as “What is Dyslexia”.

The Indonesian people are also thinking of ways to get up. This can be seen from several trending searches on Google such as “How to Sell Online” or “How to Register for a Pre-Employment Card”.

Based on trending search results on Google, in 2021, Google sees Indonesian people looking for a way to recovery. Not only showing resilience and adaptability, but the Indonesian people are also eager to grow more resilient, to create breakthroughs.

“In recent years, we have all experienced a series of events that put us in survival mode. This year, we start to reflect and look for ways how we can rise to be more resilient and continue to grow,” he said.

Quality of Life Improvement Priority

According to Google's research results, during the pandemic, Indonesians continued to look for ways to improve their quality of life. One of the things that is being done is to prioritize mental health and start using the internet to educate themselves on a number of issues. Searches for "mental health" reported an increase of 70 percent and "self-care" an increase of 45 percent.

"They tend to think about their quality of life, whether physical or mental health. The current pandemic situation also makes Indonesians want to study this problem and maybe find a solution. Awareness about social issues is also starting to be explored. For example, the keyword "racism is" has increased 40 percent," continued Muriel.

Issues explored regarding gender equality have also increased. Based on Google data, the keyword "gender equality" increased by 25 percent

Posters of new terms related to the COVID-19 pandemic that Indonesians are now familiar with. (Photo: Kemenkominfo)

In the How To category, Google lists the 10 most searched things. The topics in question are how to register MSMEs, become a beginner youtuber, become famous, become a reseller (retailer), make hand sanitizers, become an artist, log in to Google Classroom, become a dropshipper, become a writer, and how to become an impostor in the Among Us game.

In the What's category, the most popular topics are ghosting, gabut, lockdown, lying down, WFH, recession, study quotas, corona virus, PSBB, PPKM and Among Us.

From this data, it appears that Indonesians are motivated to learn new things. What is learned is not always serious. There are also those who learn techniques for playing online games.

Based on trending search results on Google, in 2021 Indonesians are looking for a way to recovery. Not only showing resilience and adaptability, but the Indonesian people are also eager to grow more resilient, to create breakthroughs. Optimism must continue to be cultivated.