Global interest in Bitcoin, as measured by online search traffic and social chatter, collapsed sharply over the past year, even as the flagship cryptocurrency reached and briefly surpassed multiple record price levels.
According to Google Trends data and social media analysis, search volume for the term “Bitcoin” has declined significantly throughout 2025 compared with the previous year, ultimately dropping roughly 50% year‑over‑year despite new all-time price highs and major market events.
Bitcoin searches and online discussion fall even as prices hit new records.
After rising above $120,000 and reaching an all-time high of $126,080, Bitcoin’s popularity waned in 2025. Global searches for the term “Bitcoin” declined despite rising prices.
This is a sign of the widening gap between the two. It’s also reflected in the data from social media sites, which shows that fewer people are discussing it, according to Bitcoin developer Jameson Lopp.
As Lopp asserts, the number of postings on X that were related to Bitcoin and contained the term “Bitcoin” decreased by 32% from 2024 to 2025, amounting to a total of 96 million postings.
Attention rose temporarily a few times following the inauguration of President Trump and the pardon of Ulbricht for Silk Road, and again with the establishment of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Interest in posting waned gradually throughout the rest of the period, despite rising Bitcoin prices.
Some events that generated significant interest in the past never led to lasting engagement. The anniversary of Bitcoin Pizza Day generated only marginal engagement, and the breaking of the $120,000 mark in Bitcoin did not lead to a huge increase in engagement.Â
This trend was evident in October. Although Bitcoin-related posts remained relatively low when prices reached a record high of $126,080, this suggested a lack of enthusiasm in line with the market’s rise.Â
What followed was a sharp market correction on October 10, when over $19 billion in crypto market positions were liquidated through leverage. The magnitude of this market correction may have contributed to a lack of enthusiasm among market participants, further weakening online interest.
Top Bitcoin supporters stay active while the overall market mood weakens
Even as public conversation thinned after 2025, key individuals continued to engage in private. Tools like Perception, which track media narratives around Bitcoin, reveal steady contributions from foundational supporters, even when search interest declined.
Michael Saylor held the pole position across 1,268 Bitcoin-related messages. Most of those – nearly 97% – carried a calm or upbeat tone, even as chatter about Bitcoin faded elsewhere online.
Not far behind came Adam Back, head of Blockstream, logging more than 11,450 updates on the network. Still, things picked up later once quantum computing and code security became the main topics. He stayed active, sharing thoughts on dangers and pushback, even as others tuned out.
Alex Gladstein, the CSO of the Human Rights Foundation, was equally active. His tweets on Bitcoin totaled 9,445, with a positivity rate of 23%. His tweets revolved around Bitcoin, individual liberty, human rights, and finance in a troubled state.
Data for broader sentiment patterns up until early 2026 indicates that the mood gap for price action is still being maintained. A chart from Santiment shows a shift in Bitcoin social media sentiment toward greater bearishness in mid-January, despite a price rise from $90,320 to $97,540.
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index remained largely in the “fear” and “extreme fear” levels throughout 2026, even as Bitcoin began to recover and move higher. This indicates that investors were fearful, despite the market moving up.
There were signs on CryptoQuant that a shift may be underway: the 30-Day Bitcoin Fear and Greed Moving Average crossed above the 90-Day Moving Average, suggesting short-term sentiment is improving despite long-term concerns.
