In the world of hashtags, 2017 was varied. Trends ranged from Intagram’s most popular #love hashtag to a debate on assault and harassment fuelled waves of #metoo tweets. And then there were also the hashtags that signalled solidarity with people caught up in terror attacks and offered them a bed for the night.
Here’s an overview of some of the things that set the Internet alight this year.
Obama hits back: US President Donald Trump may be one of the world’s most active leaders on Twitter, but it was his predecessor Barack Obama who delivered the most popular tweet.
His anti-racist appeal in August quoted the late South African president and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela and has received more than 4.6 million likes.
Ed Sheeran conquers Spotify: The British singer is the undisputed leader on the streaming service with over 45 million monthly listeners.
His album Divide was released in March and has been streamed more than 3 billion times, making it the most streamed album of the year, while his hit song Shape of You was the most streamed song. On the song recognition app Shazam, meanwhile, the song was also the one users searched for most often.
One love, one Manchester: More than 20 people died in a terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert in the British city in May. Two weeks later, the US popstar returned to perform a benefit concert.
With more than 80 million views, the concert was the most viewed live show on Facebook and more than $450,000 was raised through the social network’s donation tools.
Internet solidarity: In response to the attack at the Ariana Grande concert, Twitter users offered emergency accommodation using the hashtag #roomformanchester.
Similarly, in April stranded AS Monaco football fans were offered a #BedForAwayFans when a Champions League match in Dortmund was cancelled after the Borussia Dortmund team bus was attacked.
#metoo: The scandal surrounding US film producer Harvey Weinstein picked up speed when actress Alyssa Milano sent a tweet asking victims of abuse or harassment to reply with the hashtag #metoo.
Hundreds of thousands responded. The term actually goes back to African-American activist Tarana Burke who first used it a decade ago.
#love: Instagram’s most-used hashtag among users around the world says a lot about the photo platform. The most popular picture of the year on Instagram was of a pregnant Beyonce which received more than 11 million likes. — dpa
Jenny Tobien
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