The global Google search traffic for the organic term “cryptocurrency” is at the lowest point in five years, reflecting a shift in user sentiment. Even though prices of top crypto assets, including Bitcoin, are way above 2018 lows at spot rates, market participants appear apprehensive as interest fizzles. 

Typically, crypto users closely monitor sentiment indicators, including Google Trends data, to gauge overall interest. Analyzing search data can provide valuable insights into how the broader audience perceives and interacts with digital assets. Rapid changes in search trends, as is currently the case, can signal changes in sentiment, which often directly impact supply and demand market forces.

Amid this development, searches for “Bitcoin”, the world’s largest coin by market cap, have notably held its ground, maintaining levels above those seen in 2019 and 2020, possibly due to its established reputation and recognition. Conversely, those about “Ethereum”, while still above its 2019 levels, are dipping, with searches in August 2023 at the lowest point in nearly three years. Interestingly, Ethereum is the second world’s largest crypto by market cap and the pioneer in smart contracts, dominating decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) scenes.

The decline in search traffic comes at a phase when most were driven by individuals seeking trading and speculative opportunities, often motivated by greed, in the last bull cycle. Looking at Google Trends data, “cryptocurrency” searches spiked in 2020 before peaking in late 2021. 

Then, prices of leading assets, including Bitcoin, rose from less than $8,000, reaching $69,000 in late November. As crypto prices cooled off from late 2021, searches dropped as well, reaching spot levels, the lowest in almost five years as of early September. 

The contraction can also stem from other factors beyond price volatility. Over the years, the industry has, for instance, matured as users leverage genuine use cases emerging from crypto solutions. This has seen infrastructure developed and policymakers develop suitable laws. 

As regulators step in and policymakers create clarifying laws, industry players increasingly prioritize developing suitable decentralized applications (dapps) to create a solid foundation that promotes utility and adoption while remaining compliant. This shift can point to the community committing to growing the industry responsibly.

In recent months, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been cracking down on rogue entities through enforcement actions, heavily penalizing protocols and founders flouting rules. Exchanges, including Binance and Coinbase, have also been sued.

On a more positive front, analysts expect the regulator to possibly approve the first spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the coming months. Should that be the case, organic searches for Bitcoin, and possibly crypto, could rise, potentially supporting prices.

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