Websites looking to increase their visibility and search engine optimization (SEO) tend to use popular keywords to help boost traffic, but according to one of Barack Obama’s economic advisors, the drop in popularity of one keyword might mean the economy is poised for a rebound.
The political website Politico reports that Larry Summers, the former Harvard president and current director of the National Economic Council, says that the fact that searches for the term "economic depression" are down is an indication that consumer confidence is returning.
Speaking at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Politico says Summers claimed that earlier in the year there had been a dramatic increase in searches for the term, but that recent numbers have shifted back to normal levels.
Summers’ theory along with recent figures from the Pew Internet & American Life Project show that more Americans are turning to the internet in times of trouble to get information and to help ease their burden.
According to the recent report from Pew Internet, 88 percent of American internet users – 69 percent of all adults in the country – have used the internet to find out what might be causing the recession or to look for ways to save money or get a job.
