Year in Search

The 2020 edition uses powerful symbols and rhetorical strategies to attract audience attention and activate emotional response. A common motif within these videos is the consistent image of the Google search bar. Every topic is posed as a question within the search bar, and is supposed to represent us, as google users, searching for these questions. It is essentially the company putting itself in “our shoes”. There is no doubt that these videos invoke intense emotional responses from people. Ask anyone who has watched one, and they will most likely admit to crying. I myself cry every time I watch, no matter how many times I have seen it. They are able to invoke these emotions by including images and videos of everyday people, just like us, who we are able to relate to during moments of intensely emotional events of the year. I think these videos catch us during a time where we are less guarded and we tend to feel comforted and seen through these videos, as it encompasses the viewers emotions that they may have felt throughout the year. Google is acknowledging and validating their emotions. It’s basically Google saying “we understand how you felt, and we will always be here for you whenever you feel like that in the future”. Due to the vulnerability that we may feel while watching the Google “Year in Search” videos, it’s more difficult for people to accept or reject the messages within them. As @baldgayicon on Twitter says, “I am not immune to Google propaganda… the Year in Review commercials get my ass every time”.