What Google’s record-breaking searches on AAPI issues in 2021 showed us

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Recently released data on Google’s trending searches showed record searches related to Asian Americans in 2021.

As anti-Asian hatred increased during the coronavirus pandemic, data from Google showed that searches for the term “Asian American” increased by more than 5,000 percent, what the company calls a “breakout search.” “. In addition, research into “what is hate crime” hit record highs in March that same month, eight people – six of them Asian women – were killed in three Atlanta-area spas.

“Atlanta Shooting” has also become a successful Google Trends search, helping to create a dialogue about sexism and racism when discussing victims.

Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Equity Alliance and co-founder of the Stop AAPI Hate reporting forum, said the search volume is promising, but wants to see it lead to new policies and changes.

“How does [a search] then it gets the politicians to take it seriously and say, “I have to protect these people, I have to make sure they are not discriminated against. I have to make sure they are safe ‘?” he said.

She stressed that engaging online like Google searches can be a first step, but then leaders need to step up by investing in communities and creating policies, which are concrete efforts she believes have been lacking.

“When I testified before Congress in March, it was the first time in 30 years that there was a single hearing devoted to any matter involving Asian Americans,” he said.

Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, said research related specifically to shooting in the Atlanta area ultimately equates to increased visibility.

“It’s really a shame that it took something like a mass shooting that took the lives of Asian American women for this to come to light,” she said.

She said the shootings were “trauma memories of how we experienced life in the United States by being hypersexualized. So, in a sense, it’s not that Asian American women weren’t visible; we have always been hypervisible in ways that dehumanize us. And for once, we all had this collective moment to be able to name him ”.

According to Stop AAPI Hate, 62% of the more than 10,000 reports received between March 2020 and September 2021 were from Asian women.

In the same period, the phrases “stop Asian hate” and “stop AAPI hate”, popular slogans during protests and on social media, were searched more than ever and peaked after the shootings.

“You’ve seen companies and other allies come forward in a different way than before because of everything that’s happened to the Asian-American community,” John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, he said. “We have seen tangible change. Now, is this change sustainable? “

Google searches for AAPI Legacy Month and Philippine American History Month were also higher than in previous years. Kulkarni said these researches show people’s hunger for learning more than they were taught in school.

“It is directly related to the need for ethnic studies, accurate depiction of history, racial empathy, solidarity and structured dialogues to resolve racial conflicts,” he said. “So I think people are realizing that what they learn in school isn’t the whole picture.”

The increase in searches can also be attributed to more companies commemorating the month.

Observed in May since 1992, AAPI Heritage Month became pioneering research in 2021. From NASA to Netflix, many companies and agencies celebrated this year for the first time.

“I think when you are in the national spotlight as a community, people become more curious and are willing to do more,” Choimorrow said.

Asian-led media searches were also higher than ever this year. Netflix’s “Squid Game” was the most searched TV show and Marvel’s “Eternals” was the second most searched film, with “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” as the sixth most searched movie. “Driver’s License” by Olivia Rodrigo, who is Filipino American, was the most searched song. The movie “Minari” was the most searched topic related to the Oscars and the general search for breakout.

“People are recognizing that our communities are worthy of investment, worthy of being relieved,” Kulkarni said. “I mean they are recognizing the movement, the thousands of people who have spoken, and I think some of this research is a reflection of that.”

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