What a year it has been! 2020 is surely going down in history with all the significant events (whether they trended on Twitter or not) around the world that affected our lives.
The coronavirus pandemic, for one, has forced the world and us, people, to change the way we live. Most of us stayed at the comfort and safety of our homes and cancelled travel plans and get-togethers. This year also worsened poverty and unemployment, with companies closing down or reducing manpower. Sad but true, this year has been catastrophic.
But before we all bid farewell to 2020 (we all definitely want to move on to another year as fast as possible), let’s all take a moment to remember all the people and moments that made 2020 truly remarkable.
Twitter has just released its #ThisHappened year-in-review report that recapped all the trends and moments that dominated Twitter in 2020.
It’s no surprise that the microblogging platform became everyone’s go-to site. In the midst of everything that happened this year, Twitter was the place where we came together to post relevant information, to push for advocacy, to find memes for some dose of happiness and positivity, and to simply keep ourselves sane during quarantine. As a matter of fact, the word “quarantine” was mentioned 1.6 million times.
What topics trended on Twitter this year?
Most Retweeted Post
The most Retweeted post this year is the announcement of Chadwick Boseman’s death. The world mourned his passing and remembered his legacy in the entertainment industry as Black Panther.
The actor died on August 28 from colon cancer. The statement posted on Boseman’s account amassed 3.1 million retweets, 924,000 quote tweets, 1650,000 comments and 7.5 million likes. It also officially became the most-liked tweets of all time less than 24 hours after it was posted.
— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020
Top Hashtag
Well, it’s safe to say that the year 2020 is mainly about the coronavirus pandemic. As expected, the top hashtag used by most people this year is none other than #COVID19. Not only is this hashtag (and other variations on it) tweeted nearly 400 million times, Twitter also saw the ways in which it changed how people tweeted about so many other topics related to it. #StayHome was the third biggest hashtag of the year.
While the pandemic hindered us from going about our normal routine, it didn’t stop us from advocating for political and social changes. #BlackLivesMatter was second most-tweeted hashtag, next to COVID19. People mobilized and amplified the need for equality among cultures and races following the death of George Floyd, who is also the third most-tweeted-about person worldwide.
Most Tweeted About People
And with the recent US elections closely watched by people even beyond the American soil, Donald Trump and Joe Biden rank as the first and second most-tweeted about global figures.
Former US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are also on top 10.
Kamala Harris, the US’ first ever female vice-president, is also Twitter’s most tweeted about woman in 2020.
Elections around the world were tweeted more than 700 million times, a proof of how much people has become more confident and courageous in expressing their political opinions.
And for the fourth consecutive year, Kpop superstars BTS topped as the most tweeted about musicians in the US. The seven-member band, who has over 31 million followers on Twitter, continues to build their roster of diehard fans called A.R.M.Y.
Kanye West, who made an unsuccessful bid for presidency, came second in Twitter’s music roundup, followed by superstar Beyoncé.
BTS is also the most tweeted-about celebrity. The late Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash, is the second most mentioned star.
Probably because of self-isolations and quarantines this year, Twitter also saw tremendous follower growth among celebrities. Ariana Grande, Lil Baby and LeBron James top the list. Kylie Jenner, Travis Scott and Kim Kardashian West are also part of the top ten.
According to Twitter, this year also brought on a renewed sense of gratitude and support among its users. Tweets expressing being grateful or thankful increased by 20 percent globally, with a particular recognition of doctors (up by 135 percent), teachers (up by 30 percent) and essential/frontline workers (this phrase was tweeted more than 17 million times).
The #transrightsarehumanrights hashtag also soared 557 percent in 2020.
Twitter has been publishing year-in-review reports for over a decade now to encapsulate the full spectrum of life (online, at least) for the year.
