Cryptocurrencies have dominated headlines in 2022 due to a variety of events, including the Federal Reserve's stance on crypto and the crises involving FTX, Terra, and Celsius Network. This tumultuous landscape has impacted internet search trends for "buy cryptocurrency," which have significantly declined, according to Google Trends.

However, despite the downturn in the crypto market, retail investor interest remains strong. The Global Consumer Payments Report 2022 by Accenture indicates that retail investors are motivated by long-term investments (28%), curiosity (22%), and short-term speculation (21%).

Research by DollarGeek highlights the most-searched cryptocurrencies globally in 2022, revealing Bitcoin (BTC) as the leader with 28,410,000 monthly Google searches. Bitcoin's sustained interest is bolstered by positive assessments from market experts, such as venture capitalist Tim Draper, who predicts that Bitcoin will benefit as weaker altcoins disappear.

Interestingly, searches for "buy Bitcoin" have outpaced "sell Bitcoin" over the past year. Following Bitcoin, Shiba Inu ranks second with 4,430,000 monthly searches, driven by its metaverse project and the upcoming Shibarium launch. Crypto.com’s substantial holdings of Shiba Inu have also maintained its visibility.

Dogecoin comes in third with 5,850,000 monthly searches, partly due to Elon Musk's hints at integrating Dogecoin into Twitter for in-app payments and its listing on the U.S. trading platform, Robinhood.

Ethereum (or Ethereum 2.0) is fourth with 3,840,000 monthly searches, largely due to the network's transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. Cardano (ADA) is fifth with 3,840,000 monthly searches, although its September Vasil hard fork did not significantly boost search interest.

Rounding out the top ten are Litecoin, XRP, Safemoon, and Nexus, in sixth through tenth positions, respectively. Despite the market's volatility, the interest in these cryptocurrencies underscores their continued relevance and potential for growth.