According to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), internet penetration has increased from 34% in 2015 to 46% in 2019, an increase of approximately 8.5 million people having access to the internet. Over the last 5 years, internet access and smartphone access in particular have increased significantly. So where the term is 100, that indicates the highest possible search volume for the term and where it is 0 it is the lowest possible.Ī more intriguing finding is that this figure is actually much lower than you would expect. Instead what they provide is the relative popularity of the term as a ratio of the total search volume. Note: Google Trends doesn’t provide the raw volume of searches for any terms. What we find is that the search volume for people who searched “how to vote” in 2020 was 47% the volume of the same search in 2015. Therefore, by comparing the number of people who searched for “how to vote” (“jinsi ya kupiga kura” in Swahili) in the run-up to the 2020 election it is possible to compare this with search patterns in the run up to previous elections, with 2015 being the strongest comparison. This can serve as a strong indicator of whether people will actually vote. In the run-up to an election, and on election day itself, people seek information on how to vote and where to vote, and this is a strong indicator of interest in voting and forming an intent to go and vote. However, what is remarkable is the extent to which so few people actually searched for information on how to vote in the election indicating voter apathy in Tanzania is very high. This is not a surprising or new finding, given that the electoral commission itself indicated that the overall voter turnout in the election was only approximately 50.72%. Importantly, this data is publicly available and unbiased. This data provides a nuanced perspective on the recently concluded Tanzanian election. This Google search data is a collation of the information that people search for on the internet and can provide a glimpse into what has captured people’s attention, what they intend to do and how these information searches differ by geography among other things. The net result has been self-censorship on the internet, with the populace living in fear of falling foul of the numerous repressive laws that govern the digital space in Tanzania.ĭespite the repression of the digital space, there is still one rich data source which can provide a glimpse behind the iron khanga that has fallen on Tanzania, and that is Google Trends. Also “lawfare” that preceded the election was concerning, with laws such as the Online Content Regulations and Cyber Crimes Act being passed which, for example required the development of an online register of all bloggers, required all cyber cafes to install CCTV cameras and imposed fines on those that fail to comply. This trend reached its climax in the recent general election when the ruling party CCM took a near clean sweep of all positions in an election where the Tanzania Election Watch observer group noted several developments which “dampen the credibility of the electoral process.” One of the hallmarks of the election was the unprecedented suppression of the freedom of speech on social media, with platforms such as Twitter being systematically blocked. “I think it’s a testament to just how much Wordle took the world by storm in 2022,” Rogers added.Over the last 5 years, Tanzania has seen a steady increase in authoritarian practices. But people’s love for the game remained consistent, because for many people, the game has been a daily highlight or pick-me-up.” “There were moments within the year such as the invasion of Ukraine and the passing of Her Majesty the Queen where those terms spiked much higher. “I would say what made Wordle trend higher was that it was something that consistently captivated people throughout the year,” Rogers told the Post. Google Trends Data editor Simon Rogers told The Washington Post that Wordle became an obsession with many people this year, being a daily “pick-me-up” for those who want to steer away from darker, more serious news trends this year. Wordle also leads the pack in total searches globally, leading other searched terms such as the late Queen Elizabeth II, the FIFA World Cup, and convicted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer (the fourth, sixth, and ninth most popular terms searched globally, respectively). In a news release on Wednesday, Google Trends shared that the world puzzle game came in first ahead of terms such as Election results, Ukraine, and late actress Betty White (the second, third, and sixth most popular terms searched) in total U.S. ( The Hill) – Popular puzzle game Wordle was the most searched term on Google in 2022, beating out other search topics such as election results and Ukraine.
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