Surprising things Aussies have searched for on Google Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic

Australians have been searching for answers to more than just the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is what we’ve been looking for online.

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Exclusive: The coronavirus pandemic has dominated our newspapers, TV screens and the wireless, but it’s not the only thing that has been on the minds of Australians.

Google has today released what Australians have been searching for during the first half of this strange and uncertain year, with the data provided exclusively to News Corp revealing some surprising trends.

Joe Exotic from the eight-part documentary Tiger King, which was among the top 20 searches during the first half of 2020. Picture: AFP/Netflix

While coronavirus and social distancing were the top two topics that boomed from January 1 to June 30 compared to same period in 2019, apps and video games also surged in popularity.

Animal Crossing, a video game for the Nintendo Switch where players develop a deserted island, was among the hottest 20 topics. Tiktok, the Chinese-owned video app which the Federal Government recently faced calls to ban, also ranked highly.

Australians were also searching for answers to their burning questions, with “How many cases of coronavirus in Australia?” ranking as the No. 1 query. “What is coronavirus?” and “How did coronavirus start?” ranked second and third respectively. They were also curious as to why everyone was buying toilet paper, and where they could purchase it.

Video-sharing platform TikTok was among hot topics, according to Google seach data from January 1 to June 30. Picture: AFP

But COVID-19 wasn’t the only topic Australians wanted answers on. They also wanted to know whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was dead, when popular video game Minecraft was shutting down (newsflash: it isn’t), and what was the name of the kingdom in the Disney film Tangled (It’s Corona, in case you were wondering).

And what would the first six months of 2020 be without Tiger King - the eight-part

true crime documentary exploring big cat conservationists and collectors in America that provided much-needed entertainment during the early days of lockdown.

Tiger King was among the top 20 searches for the first half of the year, along with its primary subjects Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin.

The data also revealed a ten-year high for searches related to “craft” and “gardening” while people were mostly stuck at home, and the second highest people on record for searches of “meditation”.

Australians were also asking Google whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was dead. Picture: AFP

“We can all agree it’s already been a huge year, presenting Aussies with enormous challenges - from the bushfire crisis in summer to the COVID-19 pandemic,” News Lab Lead at Google Australia and New Zealand, Nic Hopkins said.

“We wanted to take some time to reflect on the top trends, cultural moments and questions the nation has collectively asked of Google. Many Aussies have sought Google’s help with emergency information while others have explored topics like personal wellbeing and development, and with more time spent at home we’ve also seen the top ways people are entertaining themselves, from ‘Tiger King’ to ‘Animal Crossing’.”

Originally published as Surprising things Aussies have searched for on Google Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic