2014 has been a year of many eventualities, with the continued increase in social media use marking our move further into the 21st century.
No social network brings the world together like Facebook, thus it is a good way to gauge the aggregate feeling of the world at large.
The technicians at Facebook analysed the activities of users to determine the most talked about issues of the year, and the results show the most popular topics of the year; helpfully grouped into categories.
Top Global Topics of 2014
- World Cup
- Ebola virus outbreak
- Elections in Brazil
- Robin Williams
- Ice Bucket Challenge
- Conflict in Gaza
- Malaysia Airlines
- Super Bowl
- Michael Brown/Ferguson
- Sochi Winter Olympics
The top topics in the United States were also gauged, to determine the trends of the world’s cultural centre.
Most Talked-About Topics in the US
- Ebola virus outbreak
- Ice Bucket Challenge
- Robin Williams
- Super Bowl
- Michael Brown/Ferguson
- World Cup
- Conflict in Gaza
- US midterm elections
- Malaysia Airlines
- ISIS
Most Checked-Into Places in the US
- Disney properties
- Universal Studios Hollywood
- Times Square
- Yosemite National Park
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yankee Stadium
- Las Vegas Strip
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Madison Square Garden
Most Talked-About Athletes in the US
- LeBron James
- Derek Jeter
- Floyd Mayweather Jr.
- Lionel Messi
- Peyton Manning
- Carmelo Anthony
- Tim Howard
- Luis Suarez
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Most Talked-About Entertainers in the US
- Beyoncé
- Pharrell Williams
- Nicki Minaj
- Taylor Swift
- Jimmy Fallon
- Iggy Azalea
- Katy Perry
- Pitbull
- John Legend
- Kim Kardashian
Most Talked-About TV Shows in the US
- Game of Thrones
- Orange is the New Black
- The Walking Dead
- The Big Bang Theory
- Downton Abbey
- American Horror Story
- Sons of Anarchy
- True Detective
- How I Met Your Mother
- Scandal
Most Talked-About Movies in the US
- Frozen
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Maleficent
- The Lego Movie
- The Fault in Our Stars
- Transformers: Age of Extinction
- Gone Girl
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
- The Purge: Anarchy
Most Talked-About Songs in the US
- Happy – Pharrell
- All of Me – John Legend
- Stay with Me – Sam Smith
- Turn Down for What – DJ Snake & Lil Jon
- Let It Go (from Frozen) – Idina Menzel
- Drunk in Love – Beyoncé featuring JAY Z
- Anaconda – Nicki Minaj
- Shake It Off – Taylor Swift
- Rude – Magic!
- Fancy – Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX
Most Viewed Ice Bucket Challenge Videos in the US
- George W. Bush
- Will Smith
- Shakira
- Mark Wahlberg
- David Beckham
- Lady Gaga
- Steve O
- Bill Gates
- Verne J Troyer
- Prince Royce