Nigerians’ lockdown lifestyle: 7 things trending on Google -

From the declining interest in coronavirus searches, despite a surge in new cases in Nigeria, to concerns on how to wear a face mask properly, these are interesting insights from Google Trends data on the interests and behavior of Nigerians amid the pandemic.

Face Mask

Wearing a face mask properly is not as easy as it seems especially when you are trying to avoiding contracting an infectious disease.

This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) provides tips on how to use a face mask.

In the past few weeks, some Nigerians have been spotted wearing face masks on their chin instead of over their nose and mouth. Instead of giving up, Nigerians have taken to Google to figure out how it is done.

Also, Nigerians have been particular on tips for sewing facemasks and patterns (perhaps for design).

Cabin Fever

Being isolated for a long time can cause anxiety, otherwise known as cabin fever. Sometimes doing nothing can be really stressful and could lead to extreme irritability and restlessness especially when caused by isolation or being confined indoors for a prolonged time. Although cabin fever is not a specific diagnosis, it is a common occurrence.

In the last seven days residents in Edo, Rivers, FCT and Lagos have been searching the internet for “things to do at home” leading to a 1,950% increase in the same searches week-on-week.

Adjusting the search to “bored” shows that Osun state residents might suffer worse from cabin fever with Ekiti, Kano, Niger and Enugu following.

More than 20 states including the entire South West suffer cabin fever.

Where feeling of isolation (cabin fever) is high and enforcement of lockdown orders is low, residents might take the easy way out and break virus-curbing measures for example months ago during the initial 2-week lockdown, some Lagos residents broke large gathering ban to exercise in empty bus stops.

Restrictions are now being relaxed and the search for “things to do at home” amid softer social-distancing rules suggests many are voluntarily staying at home for now and some offices are still delaying resumption.

Fun fact: The least-fun week in Nigeria over the last 5 years was the seven days from March 28 to April 5. Interestingly, this was the period around the first few days of lockdowns in Lagos, Abuja and Ogun state.

(Not Really) Hand washing

Hand washing is a less popular search than face mask even before the pandemic.

Of the 36 states only 5 have shown significant interest with Oyo residents keener on the topic.

Food: Rice, Bread, Very Plenty

Interest in food is recently cooling off its 5-year high, cooking too.

The interesting thing to note is that staple foods bread and rice were searched at an unusual rate during the lockdowns.

Searches for rice usually spikes in Decembers alone and rarely, if at all, during March to May, but 2020 bucked trend and searches for bread grew significantly during the period.

Economists believe rice and bread fall under a class of inferior goods known as Giffen goods, for which demand increases for which demand increases as the price increases and vice versa. For Nigeria, some argue rice doesn’t fit in that category.

We also noticed a new related search interest in marketing and distribution (of food).

Netflix and Self-Isolate

Search for cinema hit 5-year low, but search for Movies and Netflix reached 5-year high in late March to early April.

Also, Netflix gained traction as movie lovers, and generally bored Nigerians, used the platform to cope with the lockdowns.

Some entertainment business experts believe that the cinema business will still keep losing revenue to streaming platforms post-lockdowns.

Uninteresting virus

Nigerians are losing interest in the virus a departure from initial frenzy which perhaps reflects familiarity with the nature of the disease or complacency. It is not easy to tell.