Facebook’s Year in Review 2015

As the year comes to a close, it is also time to reflect on the moments in 2015 that moved us and inspired us to take action.

Social media giant, Facebook shared their lists of global highlights in 2015, seeking to paint a picture of what the world was talking about in 2015— from politics to sporting events to some of the toughest issues facing the world today – and also some of the milestones that occurred in Singapore. The full list can be seen here:yearinreview.fb.com

Some highlights from Facebook’s 2015 lists include:

• The US presidential election was the most talked-about topic globally on Facebook, with nearly a year to go to Election Day. The November 13 attacks in Paris, the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis, theNepal earthquakes and the Greek debt crisis followed.
• Ed Sheeran topped the list of most talked-about entertainers, followed by Taylor Swift at #2, Kanye West at #3, Nicky Jam at #4, and Wiz Khalifa rounding out the top 5.
• Game of Thrones ruled the small screen as the most talked-about TV show, while Star Wars: The Force Awakens led the list of most talked-about movies.
• Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao were the most talked-about athletes of the year following their highly watched fight in May.

Note the western skew, particularly towards America with the lists as 1/5 of the world’s population lives in China where Facebook is banned, not to mention other large countries like Russia and Japan where it is not that popular.

Facebook: 2015 Year in Review Lists

Topics (Global)

1. US Presidential Election
2. November 13 Attacks in Paris
3. Syrian Civil War & Refugee Crisis
4. Nepal Earthquakes
5. Greek Debt Crisis
6. Marriage Equality
7. Fight Against ISIS
8. Charlie Hebdo Attack
9. Baltimore Protests
10. Charleston Shooting & Flag Debate

Places (Singapore)

1. Universal Studios Singapore
2. Gardens by the Bay
3. Marina Bay Sands
4. Singapore Botanic Gardens
5. Marina Bay Singapore
6. Sentosa Island
7. Resorts World at Sentosa
8. Singapore Zoo
9. Trick Eye Museum Singapore
10. S.E.A. Aquarium, Marine Life Park

Entertainers (Global)

1. Ed Sheeran
2. Taylor Swift
3. Kanye West
4. Nicky Jam
5. Wiz Khalifa
6. Drake
7. Pitbull
8. Caitlyn Jenner
9. The Weeknd
10. Shakira

TV Shows (Global)

1. Game of Thrones
2. The Walking Dead
3. The Daily Show
4. Saturday Night Live
5. WWE Raw
6. The Simpsons
7. 19 Kids and Counting
8. Grey’s Anatomy
9. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
10. Orange is the New Black

Movies (Global)

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2. Furious 7
3. Jurassic World
4. Avengers: Age of Ultron
5. American Sniper
6. Straight Outta Compton
7. Fifty Shades of Grey
8. Mad Max: Fury Road
9. Magic Mike XXL
10. Pitch Perfect 2

Athletes (Global)

1. Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
2. Manny Pacquiao
3. Ronda Rousey
4. Lionel Messi
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
6. Tom Brady
7. Stephen Curry
8. LeBron James
9. Serena Williams
10. Carlos Tevez

Politicians (Global)

1. Barack Obama
2. Donald Trump
3. Dilma Rousseff
4. Hillary Clinton
5. Bernie Sanders
6. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
7. Recep Taytip Erdoğan
8. Muhammadu Buhari
9. Narendra Modi
10. Benjamin Netanyahu

New Games (Global)

1. FIFA 15
2. Fallout Shelter & Fallout 4
3. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
4. Mortal Kombat X
5. Batman: Arkham Knight
6. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
7. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
8. Dying Light
9. Star Wars: Battlefront
10. Halo 5: Guardians

Methodology

All Year in Review lists (except Places) were measured by how frequently a topic was mentioned in Facebook posts made between January 1 and December 1, 2015. To put these lists together, Facebook posts were analyzed in an aggregated, anonymized way, and then ranked to create a snapshot of the year on Facebook.

The Top 20 Global Places and all country-specific Places lists are based on the number of Facebook check-ins at these locations over the course of 2015.