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Today Facebook unveiled its Year in Review, a look back at the events that really got us talking in 2015. These were the stories that moved and inspired us, the debates that got us arguing and the disasters that left the world in mourning.
The data was compiled by measuring how frequently a topic was mentioned in Facebook posts made between the beginning of January to December 1st. Facebook posts were analysed in an aggregated, anonymised way, and then ranked to create a snapshot of the year on Facebook.
First up, we’ve got the stories that got people posting all over the world.
The US presidential election isn’t due to take place until November 2016, but the competition has already got people talking. It will be the country’s first vote on leadership since Obama was re-elected in 2012, defeating Democrat Mitt Romney.
On Friday November 13th, terrorists conducted a series of terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people and left 368 injured. The attacks took place across several restaurants, at the Bataclan theatre and outside the Stade de France.
More than four million refugees have fled Syria since the start of its civil war, most of whom have ended up in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. The European Union has approved a plan to accept 120,000 refugees, which many claim is not enough.
April saw Nepal hit by an earthquake which tragically killed over 9,000 people and injured more than 23,000, making it the worst natural disaster in the country since the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake. A major aftershock occurred less than a month later, killing a further 200 people and injuring another 2,500.
Greece’s deteriorating financial strength began in 2009, and this year it became the first developed country to fail to make an IMF loan repayment, at the time owing €323bn.
Ireland, the USA, Luxembourg and Greenland all ruled same-sex marriage as legal in 2015.
British, Iranian, Russian, American and French military forces administered strategic attacks against the Islamic State in Iraq, and this year in Syria.
On January 7th, two radicalised brothers forced their way into the offices of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, killing 11 people and injuring 11 others with rifles and other weapons. Millions of people around the world used the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie to show solidarity with the paper.
In April, 25-year-old Freddie Gray sustained injuries to his neck and spine while in police custody and died a week later, sparking protests outside Baltimore’s Western district police station. As news of Gray’s death spread, increasing number of residents took to the streets and violently clashed with police officers. The ensuing civil unrest caused 250 arrests, damage to over 250 businesses, 150 vehicle fires and 60 structure fires.
In June a mass shooting took place in an African Methodist church in Charleston, South Carolina. The suspect, Dylann Roof, admitted that he committed the shooting in the hope of igniting a race war. Photos emerged of Roof posing with the confederate flag, which reignited debates over whether the flag should be flown, considering its historical context. The flag is no longer on display outside the South Carolina State House as a result.
And if you’re wondering which topics got us talking in the UK, here’s your top 10:
1. UK General Election
2. Labour Leadership Election
3. Paris Terrorist Attacks
4. Syrian Civil War & Refugee Crisis
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
6. Jeremy Clarkson firing
7. Rugby World Cup
8. Mayweather/Pacquiao fight
9. Glastonbury Festival
10. Nepal Earthquakes
