From COVID-19 Symptoms To Netflix And Tutorials, Pinoys Search For Ways To Survive Pandemic

A survey of terms used to search via Google during the first week of enhanced community quarantine in Luzon may show what’s on Filipinos’ minds to cope with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), their limited mobility and money problems as work both in the public and private sectors would have to temporarily stop.

“We’re already seeing new trends form as work moves from office to remote, as students settle in for their third week studying at home. Technology will continue to be an enabler to this unprecedented situation, as a gateway to current events, a bridge to loved ones near and far, and as an escape when we need to be distracted,” multinational marketing communications company Dentsu Aegis Network said in a 110-page report titled “Search Trends COVID-19: Findings and Opportunities.”

To come up with the report, the company ran several terms through Google Trends to spot which of them were rising due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data was pulled between March 16 and 22.

Filipino users were found to have expressed “fear and curiosity” from Jan. 26 to Feb. 8 as they searched about the coronavirus and its symptoms and signs, and associated it with Wuhan, the Chinese city that went into lockdown before the disease began escalating in the rest of the world.

From Feb. 16 to March 4, they “monitored” developments as the number of cases increased in Italy, South Korea, Japan and Dubai.

Finally, the virus “starts to hit close to home” and triggered “panic and anxiety” from March 5 onwards, after cases in the Philippines started to increase and lockdowns began to be imposed. The report showed that searches for “sore throat meaning” and “runny nose meaning” began to trend.

The report also showed that searches related to COVID-19 died down after the initial spread, as the Department of Health (DOH) did not report any new case for 30 days, between the third case on Feb. 5 and the fourth on March 6. Searches swiftly climbed afterwards.

There was also a sharp increase in searches for specific symptoms such as “bluish lips,” “coronavirus symptoms day by day,” “nasal congestion,” “coronavirus disease 2019 incubation period” and “sore throat no fever.”

Searches for “coronavirus safety and preventions tips” peaked sharply around March 16, the first weekday of the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila, during which thousands of commuters were stranded after “social distancing” (now called physical distancing by the World Health Organization) was enforced in the metropolis’ inadequate public transportation system.

That night, searches for the word “asymptomatic” – when a person carries the virus but does not show any symptoms – climbed when Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri disclosed that he tested positive for COVID-19 without experiencing fever, cough or headaches.

The report also observed that searches for the terms “paracetamol,” “colds” and “ubo” or cough reached new highs this year — more than doubling the usual peaks during the rainy seasons of past years.

“Filipinos are getting more paranoid about every possible symptom that could be linked to COVID-19,” read the report.

It cited the inquiries on the normal body temperature and the searches for medical terms like “dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing)” and even the benefits of ginger and lagundi syrup.

Parents also looked for tips to protect their children, as searches for “activities for kids at home,” “vitamin C brands,” “Bactidol for kids,” “normal body temperature for kids” and “coronavirus symptoms in kids” more than doubled.

Searches for surgical, N95, washable and reusable masks have climbed since January, during the ashfall caused by the phreatic eruption of Taal Volcano.

Online users also took more interest in Zubiri and actor Christopher de Leon of ABS-CBN daytime soap opera “Love Thy Woman” after they tested positive for COVID-19.

The report also showed an increase in searches especially for Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto, who gained public admiration for his government’s initiatives to help the city’s residents, but incurred the ire of Duterte administration officials for not hewing to the national government’s directives on community quarantine.

Other public figures who were searched were Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and Vice President Leni Robredo.

On the flip side, the report noted the “cancellation” of influencer Cat Arambulo, who berated the working class crowding checkpoints, saying: “God, why don’t you motherf*****s just stay at home?” Filipino-American actress Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame drew backlash for ranting about the possibility of a lockdown lasting up to July and dismissively saying: “Even if everybody gets it, like, yeah, people are gonna die. Which is terrible, but like, inevitable?” Other “cancelled” figures were “Dennis Uy wife” – rumored to have hoarded nearly a million pesos worth of groceries – and James Deakin, a social media ally of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

New search terms entered the national consciousness: “frontliners” and “PPE (personal protective equipment” for those leading the fight, panic buying and hoarding especially of hygienic products, “community quarantine” and “enhanced community quarantine” and “social distancing.”

The word “pandemic” also seemed new to some users – and so did the goal to “flatten the curve,” which means slowing down the infection and deaths to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed and for the cure to be found.

The searches for terms “airborne” and “droplet” – the latter being a confirmed way of transmitting the disease – reflected fears of its spread.  The attempt to learn about jargon and terminologies “calls for better understanding,” especially as many related searches sought Tagalog translations.

But there was also room for levity. Searches for the term “veerus” increased, poking fun at the mispronunciation by Duterte when he addressed the public and started imposing restrictions on outside movement on March 12.

There was also an “attempt to cope with business unusual” as people were forced to work from home when the nature of their jobs allowed it. Thus, several Filipinos had to scramble for a Wi-Fi provider.

There was an increase in searches for applications like Office 365, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype and Microsoft Teams that enable the sharing of documents and videoconferencing. The use of Google Classroom and Canvas usually surges from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Yet, many were “still adjusting to the basics of virtual work,” as reflected by searches on “how to screen share,” “conference call” and “video call,” as well as “work from home tips.”

Others were forced to pick up new domestic skills – “how to cook,” “how to clean,” “how to disinfect,” “how to download.” Some parents also had to search for “tutor” and “online tutor.” Homes have become “the new place to sweat” as reflected in the searches for how to work out and exercise indoors.

Meanwhile, Filipinos had to seek distraction, as shown by the increase in searches for video-sharing application Tiktok, drama and movie streaming services Netflix, Viu and IWant, and even torrent websites.

Filipinos were seen to have turned to YouTube for full movies, and pandemic-themed movies like World War Z saw an uptrend. Tagalog films were also in demand. Viewers seemed to prefer drama and action over comedy and romance.

Searches for anime vastly outpaced those for Korean dramas – although “Crash Landing on You” and “Itaewon Class” led the pack of more recent Korean titles that online users opted to watch. All in all, such searches tended to spike from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m.

There was also a rising trend in ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) searches on YouTube, showing that more Filipinos were looking for help going to sleep from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Consumers also continued to enjoy drinking alcohol, by transitioning to e-numans online with their drinking buddies.

“Life in lockdown is a test for communal cultures like we have in the Philippines. Besides the limitations to daily movements, all the activity is now centered in the home. This could lead to drastic changes in different aspects of Filipino lifestyle, especially to a new kind of home life,” read the report. 

The report said brands could take the quarantine as an opportunity to help Filipinos connect with each other, stay distracted, maintain a sense of normalcy and maximize productivity.

It recommended brands to find purpose and let consumers hear how they are contributing resources, and start preparing for electronic commerce and alternative revenue models. Also important for brands is to avoid adding to the noise “with so much content already circulating.”