Bitcoin Price Climbs, Public Curiosity Fades

Bitcoin’s price might be soaring, but public curiosity isn't keeping up. According to Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley, despite Bitcoin reaching around $90,000, interest in the cryptocurrency — as measured by Google search trends — has stayed surprisingly low.

Google Trends data shows that searches for “Bitcoin” have steadily declined since the frenzy of 2017 and 2021. Over the past year alone, the search index fell from roughly 75 points down to 25, even as Bitcoin’s value has surged by 380% from its 2017 peak and 38% from 2021 highs.

Horsley suggests that today’s rally isn’t fueled by retail investors chasing hype. Instead, institutions, corporations, financial advisors, and even governments are now the dominant forces behind Bitcoin’s growth.

While big names like BlackRock, Fidelity, and ARK Invest drive ETF investments, Horsley points out that it’s still largely retail money flowing into these institutional channels.

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Recent data supports this view. Fidelity noted that public companies have acquired close to 350,000 BTC since the U.S. election, adding around 30,000 BTC per month through early 2025. Meanwhile, ARK Invest projects Bitcoin could skyrocket to $2.4 million by 2030, powered largely by institutional adoption.

Beyond changing investor profiles, the drop in Google searches may also reflect broader shifts in behavior. Bitcoin is no longer a novelty; the general public is already familiar with it. Additionally, many users now turn to AI platforms or social media like X for crypto updates instead of relying on traditional search engines.

Alexander Stefanov