Google Trends map shows #MeToo has spread across India and is not a Urban phenomenon anymore

New Delhi, Oct 16: Five decades later, the #MeToo movement has given women the world over a platform to share their experiences with sexual harassment and come out in solidarity with survivors. Google has traced this campaign and the online trend around it in the form of an interactive timeline represented by a globe.

In light of #MeTooIndia gaining ground, India can be seen lit up on the map, brighter than any other country on the globe. The Google trend shows that small towns in India are very much interested in the issue. Google also allows users to see the cities where the hashtag was trending on different dates and also what is happening now at local levels with city-specific searches.

However, it's noteworthy that the top cities listed on Google's site aren't Delhi or Mumbai or Bengaluru. Instead, you'll see Chicalim in Goa, Bhusawal in Maharashtra, Zirakpur in Punjab, and Bhanwreli and Rajnandgaon in Chattisgarh.

Google had created this visualisation from Google Search Trends in April this year, when the Me Too movement was still very strong in the US, but it tracks searches around the world and according to Google, in the past year, MeToo has been searched for in 195 countries-every country on the planet.

While #MeToo was coined by activist Tarana Burke way back in 2006, the term only really gained traction following the Harvey Weinstein revelations of 2017, after The New York Times and The New Yorker published their investigation into the predatory behaviour of the now disgraced Hollywood mogul which stretched back decades and saw Weinstein sexually harass and assault dozens of women, no questions asked. Meanwhile, the #MeToo movement picked up in India following actor Tanushree Dutta's allegations against co-star Nana Patekar.

Google had also announced that "to make it easier for survivors to find support, Google.org will provide $5,00,000 in grants to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network and Girls for Gender Equity", and the same can be accessed online by women in the US and abroad for reporting sexual misconduct".