Emerging Technologies

Google Trends highlights the dramatic drop off in NFT searches

Screenshot of Bored Ape Yacht Club - A popular NFT project.

"A non-fungible token (NFT) is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain, a form of digital ledger, that can be sold and traded." Image: Unsplash/ Dylan Calluy

Martin Armstrong
Data Journalist, Statista
  • Google searches for 'NFT' have more than halved since their peak in Jan 2022.
  • The change in trend helps to show a dramatic fall-off in the interest of non-fungible tokens.
  • According to Wikipedia; "A non-fungible token (NFT) is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain, a form of digital ledger, that can be sold and traded."

While many of us have been forced to at least try to understand what an NFT is over the last year or so, the latest figures from Google Trends suggest that this research has not led to a sustained interest in the topic. For those that haven't as yet attempted to get to grips with the phenomenon, here's Wikipedia to the rescue: "A non-fungible token (NFT) is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain, a form of digital ledger, that can be sold and traded. Types of NFT data units may be associated with digital files such as photos, videos, and audio."

Still not clear? Then have fun delving down this particular rabbit hole. Though if the trend shown by Google's search data continues, that might turn out to be a monumental waste of your time. One place where the demise of the NFT is by no means being predicted however, is at LimeWire. The popular file-sharing platform from the early 2000's (largely facilitating illegal download of films and music) announced this week that it will be returning as a “mainstream-ready, digital collectibles marketplace for art and entertainment, initially focusing on music.” The service is expected to go live in May.

Interest in NFTs has plummeted.
Google searches for 'NFT' have more than halved since their peak in Jan 2022. Image: Statista
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