To say 2020 was an interesting year is an understatement (translation: a dumpster fire year). Although most of us were stuck at home, somehow it went by in a flash and it’s hard to recall what even happened throughout the year. Thankfully, Google’s Year in Search is here to remind us of everything that went down.
These were the top definitions searched in Canada
- Pandemic
- Systemic racism
- Social distancing
- Furlough
- Epidemic
Beyond the pandemic, the topic of racism and systemic racism was highlighted in 2020. With the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Breonna Taylor, Black Lives Matter became a global movement, not just a moment. “How to be an ally” was searched more than “how to be an influencer” and the search term “what is systemic racism” reached an all-time high. That being said, this isn’t the time to pat ourselves on the back for doing the bare minimum. This isn’t just another trend or topic. Thank goodness folx are finally starting to do their homework on the realities of systemic racism. We need to keep having these conversations and bringing to question the institutions, the government processes and economic systems that continually perpetuate racial injustice in Canada and around the world.
Related: 10 accidental microaggressions you might be making everyday.
And here are the top movies in Canada for 2020
- Parasite
- Contagion
- Black Panther
- Borat 2
- Little Women
When Parasite won Best Picture at the Academy Awards this year, it was a monumental moment in Hollywood. Why? First of all, it was the first time a non-English speaking film took home the Academy’s biggest award of the evening. Beyond that, it was also a big moment for representation in Hollywood. To see an all-Asian cast on stage to accept the Best Picture award was huge for the Asian community. We have our fingers crossed that this is a sign of the rise in Asian representation in Hollywood for 2021. Let’s be honest, Disney’s Mulan didn’t do it for us…
See also: ‘The Joy Luck Club,’ ‘Grease’ and ‘Shrek’ inducted into National Film Registry.
These TV shows were top searched for 2020 in Canada
- Tiger King
- The Queen’s Gambit
- Ozark
- Cobra Kai
- Money Heist
Was Tiger King really from 2020? It almost feels like it was ages ago when we were introduced to the world of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. Since then Carole Baskin has gone on to compete on Dancing with the Stars. Spoiler alert: she didn’t make it very far (sorry, you cool cats and kittens). And, Joe Exotic, well, he’s still in prison as documented in the Netflix docuseries.
Another Netflix mini-series that did well in 2020 was The Queen’s Gambit about an orphan chess prodigy named Beth Harmon. Thanks to the show’s popularity, the sale of chess sets have skyrocketed. It might be time to dust off that old chessboard.
Related: What we watched to get us through 2020.
When you think back to how your year started and how it’s ending, do your Google Searches reflect these trends?
