[Taxacom] Google Trends

[Mike Dallwitz]

Jim Croft wrote:

> 'biodiversity' ... note the steady and inexorable decline in interest. 
> This shows the same general pattern as interest in 'insects' - 
> a rigourous annual cycle with a sharp dip in jan/feb.

I think that this sharp dip is actually Christmas. There is usually a 
smaller one at Thanksgiving. The broad dip in June-July probably represents 
the northern summer holidays.

This pattern of dips, and the general decline, applies to most 'serious' 
subjects - try physics, statistics, science, poetry, etc. 'Frivolous' 
subjects usually show an increase over time. They tend to show slight peaks 
at holiday periods (or large peaks in a few cases, e.g. for the word 
'Thanksgiving' itself).

As the graphs show _relative_ numbers, you can't tell whether there is an 
absolute decline in interest in 'serious' subjects, either overall or at 
holidays. You can't even tell whether there is a decline in interest by 
'serious' users, as most such people may have used the Internet to the 
fullest extent for many years, whereas the number of 'frivolous' users may 
be growing rapidly.

Another problem is that the statistics apply to words, not subjects, and 
fashions in words may change rapidly. In particular, I think that 
'biodiversity' is a buzz/weasel word.

-- 
Mike Dallwitz
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