"If it happened in 2015, it happened on Twitter," according to the social media platform, and there's certainly plenty of truth in that statement. Millions of people around the world instinctively turn to Twitter to find out more when news is breaking, or to share their reactions to global events.
Of course, many simply use the social network to share selfies or photos of their pets doing the funniest things, or just to witlessly antagonize other people under a veil of anonymity - but the new #YearOnTwitter site quietly glosses over such parochial contributions to focus instead on the biggest trends and the most popular content of 2015.
For example, the site highlights the most significant "moments that had the biggest impact across the world", including:
- The reaction to terrorist attacks in Paris
- The rise of #BlackLivesMatter as "one of the most powerful social movements" of the year
- Legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States and Ireland
- #RefugeesWelcome becoming a top-trending hashtag in Europe
- The response to the handcuffing of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohammed after the homemade clock he took to his school was suspected of being a bomb
- Discussion and debate on national elections in Argentina, Canada, India, Singapore and the UK
- Excitement surrounding the FIFA Women's World Cup
- The wonder and awe of space exploration as NASA conducted its Pluto fly-by
- 'The Dress'... #BlueandBlack or #WhiteandGold?
- Caitlyn Jenner's first appearance on Twitter - her account became the fastest ever to reach one million followers
The site also highlights the year's top trending topics in various areas of interest, including politics...
1. #tcot
2. #LoveWins
3. #auspol
4. #leadership
5. #GOPDebate
6. #WakeUpAmerica
7. #cdnpoli
8. #UniteBlue
9. #Obama
10. #GE2015
...pastimes...
1. #Love
2. #Art
3. #Fashion
4. #Photography
5. #TFW
6. #Travel
7. #Selfie
8. #TBT
9. #LOL
10. #Food
...and technology:
1. #iPad
2. #SoundCloud
3. #Android
4. #Periscope
5. #iPhone
6. #Amazon
7. #YouNow
8. #Apple
9. #startup
10. #Twitter
And the tweet with the most RTs of the year? As Twitter explains: "When news broke that One Direction member Zayn Malik was parting ways with the group, Harry Styles expressed gratitude toward fans."
No comment...
Anyway, if you're still in a nostalgic mood and feeling an urge to continue looking back on the year, Microsoft published a selection of highlights showcasing some of the top searches of 2015 on its Bing search engine, along with insights into how various world events influenced what people looked for online.
Source: #YearOnTwitter
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