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TOP TRENDING NEWS: What were 2016's most talked-about topics?

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Politics, celebrity deaths, movies or...?

The past year has been full of amazing, sorrowful, beautiful, controversial and stunning moments - but what were the most talked about on social media?

Highlights

By Monique Crawford (CALIFORNIA NETWORK)
CALIFORNIA NETWORK (https://www.youtube.com/c/californianetwork)
12/8/2016 (7 years ago)

Published in Technology

Keywords: Facebook, popular, viral, topics

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A lot has happened in 2016. In fact, there are several memes concerning the many events that took place this year - both good and bad.

Great movies were released, politics tore families apart and the world lost amazing talented performers.


With so much going on, it's hard to tell what events were the  most popular on social media giant Facebook, but after analyzing 1.8 billion users from  January 1 to November 27, Facebook released the following list of the top 10 most talked about topics:


1. The United States' Presidential Election

The Trump-Clinton debates, memes, facts, gossip and insults were hurled across Facebook from people of all ages.

The uproar was spread well beyond the borders of the United States, with people around the world chiming in with their opinions of American politics.

2. Brazilian Politics

Brazil had an exciting year but the real news story is Dilma Rousseff, the country's former president, being suspended from office in May.

She was ordered to stand trial for corruption and was promptly impeached from office.

3. Pokémon GO

People of all ages were besotted with Pokémon GO. The app was user-friendly and got kids playing outside again.

Many adults who grew up watching the animated series and playing the Nintendo games joined the fun at hot spots in parks, landmarks and busy streets.

4. Black Lives Matter

Police shootings of unarmed black civilians led to a movement demanding equality.

BLM calls for less police brutality toward black lives to prevent further unnecessary tragedies.

5. Rodrigo Duterte and the Philippine Presidential Election

Rodrigo Duterte's ascension to the presidency made waves around the world, with many questioning his controversial past and present tactics in the ongoing drug war.

He openly allowed extrajudicial killings of drug sellers and users and eventually threatened to kill human rights advocates who stand against him.

6. The Olympics

The 2016 Olympics were filled with exciting events, with Team USA bringing in the majority of Rio medals.

Team USA brought home 121 medals overall, 51 more than the next highest country. Of those awards, 53 percent were won by women.

7. Brexit

Concerns over Britain's exit from the European Union brought about plenty of gossip and economic predictions.

Sure enough, the vote to leave the EU made waves in markets worldwide.

8. Super Bowl 50

The sports fans are always heard, especially so when the Super Bowl comes around.

In February, the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in an exciting game but when Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning announced his retirement, social media exploded.

9. David Bowie

The loss of David Bowie hit the world hard.

His talents will be missed by people of all ages, from fans who witnessed his entire career to kids being introduced to his musical performances in "Labyrinth."

10. Muhammad Ali

Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali passed away in June at 74-years-old.

Fans showed their respect by sharing pictures of his many momentous occasions, quotes and inspiring moments.

Thank you for reading our list.

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