South Africans had a lot to search for in 2022! Google South Africa just revealed the Year in Search results, which gives us a glimpse into all of our inquiries throughout the past year - from questions about current events and celebrities, to what's been trending nationally.
For the second year in a row, South Africa's search engine users were focused on staying up-to-date with social grants and the R350 SASSA Social Relief grant. Search terms including SASSA status check and SRD status check were ranked as the highest with an estimated monthly average of 2.6 million searches! After delivering his Medium-term Budget Policy Statement, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana shared the good news that South Africa's Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant would be extended for an additional year to 2024. This affirms the government's commitment in providing stability and continued support during these challenging times.
Wordle, a global phenomenon among word game lovers, was the second most popular search term. With an estimated monthly average of 1.8 million searches, people of all ages were exploring how to play the game and solve its puzzles. Players can put their minds to the test while forming words from randomly selected letters, racing up real-time leaderboards, and conquering progressively demanding levels - then they get to share it all in a visually stunning way. Whether you're after some casual fun or want something challenging during your spare time, Wordle (acquired by the NY Times) is guaranteed delight that people just can't seem to resist; no wonder why so many are jumping on board this incredible experience.
Climate change wasn't far behind in third place! This goes to show how seriously South Africans are taking climate change and are interested in finding out more.South Africa is expected to get warmer and dryer, with temperatures rising 2-3°C by the middle of this century. This could cause droughts to become more frequent - a major challenge for a country that already struggles with water shortages. There is clearly an interest in what is causing climate change and what can be done to reduce or at least slow down its impact.
Other trending search terms after Climate Change included Monkey Pox, Ukraine, Typhoid Fever and Load Shedding. All topics which have been covered significantly in local media or have impacted on South Africans across the country (increased load-shedding for example).
The most popular person searched for in 2022 was the American rapper Jaden Smith. Will Smith and Chris Rock were second after the dramatic slapping incident at the Oscars back in March 2022 . Then there was also the courthouse drama between Jonny Depp and Amber Herd which gave them the 3rd and 4th spots respectively. The Springbok dietician Zeenat Simjee came in at 5th place!
South Africans truly love their sports, and the 2022 Year in Search results prove it! Football dominates with World Cup 2022 fixtures taking top spot. Afcon comes second followed by Banyana Banyana - South Africa's women football team. Tennis (Australian Open), rugby (Springboks v All Blacks) and cricket (South Africa v India) also make up some of the most searched sporting events for this past year.
In terms of the questions people were asking. South Africans were in the know about what matters, from global warming to pop culture. Everyone wanted an answer—what is causing climate change? What's a drought like? Who's playing Black Panther now? And how can I check my matric results online!? This is just an example of the broad range of topics people are looking for answers on!
Will the social relief grants remain one of the topped searched terms next year? Or will there be some new trends / topics that we are not even aware of yet! Only time will tell.
It's interesting to see what South Africans were searching for in 2022. The Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant being extended for an additional year was a much-needed piece of good news, and it's great to see that people are interested in learning more about climate change and how they can help fight it. It will be interesting to see what trends develop over the next year.
