As GameStop enters a second short-squeeze, the financial world is becoming obsessed with the market mechanics, diamond-handed redditors, and hedge fund players behind the movements.

But there is more to the story here... and this chart proves it:

That's not the stock price.

That's the number of people talking about doing business with GameStop.

Buying games, shopping in the store, checking-out online.

As you can see, this consumer demand metric began surging in the 4th quarter of 2020, hitting all-time highs well before the first short-squeeze even began.

Since then, the consumer demand has only pushed higher, creating a powerful positive feedback loop as surges in the price of GameStop stock actually create more interest in its products and the possibilities therein.

Which begs an interesting question...

Does GameStop's management know what they have here?  

Jim Cramer does...

We will continue to watch the *Consumer* demand closely for GameStop... but for now, investors would be short-sighted to dismiss the idea of a major comeback for the company.