Social media attention is shifting away from cryptocurrencies as silver and gold dominate online discussions, according to new data from Santiment. A sharp rally in precious metals prices has drawn retail investors toward traditional safe-haven assets, temporarily pushing crypto out of the spotlight.
Silver prices surged to a new all-time high of just over $117 this week, fueling widespread online hype. However, analysts caution that such intense attention could signal a short-term market top rather than sustained upside.
Precious Metals Dominate Social Media Buzz
Santiment data shows that discussions around gold and silver have outpaced crypto on most days this month. Gold-related chatter spiked in the second week of January after the metal reached new highs, dominating social media between Jan. 8 and Jan. 18.
Crypto briefly reclaimed attention in the third week of January, as traders attempted to “buy the dip” during a market pullback. Between Jan. 19 and Jan. 22, digital assets once again led social discussions. That momentum was short-lived.
Silver quickly retook the spotlight after setting new price records. According to Santiment, silver was also the most discussed asset between Jan. 1 and Jan. 6, highlighting sustained retail interest driven by rising prices.
Retail Investors Are Jumping Entire Sectors
Santiment analysts note a broader behavioral shift among retail traders. While crypto investors are known for rotating between trends such as memecoins, AI tokens, and blue-chip cryptocurrencies, social data now suggests something different.
Retail traders appear increasingly willing to move capital entirely out of crypto and into other asset classes. Gold, silver, and even equities are gaining attention whenever strong price momentum—or “pumps”—emerge elsewhere in the market.
Silver FOMO Could Signal a Local Top
Despite silver’s strong performance, Santiment warns that surging social interest often coincides with market tops. According to data from TradingView, silver briefly surged above $117.70 before sharply reversing.
Within just two hours of hitting record highs, prices fell below $102.70 as retail hype peaked and fear of missing out (FOMO) reached extreme levels. As of Wednesday, silver is trading near $113, recovering some losses but still below its intraday peak.
Historically, Santiment analysts argue, this type of euphoric retail participation tends to appear near short-term tops rather than at the beginning of long-term rallies.
Google Trends Shows Crypto Still Competing
While social media sentiment has favored precious metals, search data tells a more balanced story. Google Trends data shows that crypto-related searches remain strong over the past seven days.
Search interest for crypto peaked at 100 on Jan. 21, later fluctuating between 61 and 93. Popular queries included “best crypto,” “what is crypto,” and “crypto price.” As of Wednesday, crypto holds a score of 82.
Bitcoin search interest followed a similar pattern, peaking at 100 on Monday and dipping to 58 on Sunday. Queries such as “Bitcoin price” and “Bitcoin USD” remained among the most searched, with Bitcoin currently scoring 86.
Silver, by comparison, reached peak search interest on Jan. 22 with a score of 100 but dropped to a low of 46 over the weekend. On Wednesday, silver’s search score stood at 68, suggesting fading momentum compared to crypto.
Precious Metals vs Crypto: Attention Is Rotating Fast
The data highlights how quickly retail focus can rotate between asset classes. While silver and gold have captured short-term hype due to price rallies, crypto continues to maintain strong baseline interest through search behavior.
For traders and investors, Santiment’s takeaway is clear: rising social media hype can offer valuable signals—but often as a warning, not an invitation.
