Twitter Shares the Most Tweeted Topics and Celebrities of 2018

• Posted on December 6, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

Twitter has this week shared its annual round-up of the most tweeted about topics, politicians, celebrities and more, providing a range of insights into the key trends of the year, and what’s of most interest to Twitter users.

First off, on topics – the most discussed movements of 2018 were as follows:

Those likely come as little surprise – each of these movements also saw significant media coverage, showing that Twitter generally reflects the key movements of the time. The amount of related on-platform discussion underlines that Twitter remains a hugely relevant cultural force, with many of these topics first gaining significant momentum via tweet.

Next up – political figures:

It will be absolutely no surprise to anyone that US President Donald Trump tops this list. Trump’s polarizing personality and policy approach has both his supporters and opponents regularly engaging – if nothing else, Trump has definitely awakened more political awareness across the spectrum. 

Interesting, too, to note how few comparative mentions US Vice President Mike Pence has seen.

Meanwhile, on celebrities, the ‘most tweeted’ list is particularly interesting:

South Korean pop band BTS tops the list, beating out Kanye West, LeBron James and Beyonce. In fact, the top 10 highlights the broader rise of Asian pop musicians, with BTS, EXO and Jimin all making the list. Twitter does have around 5 million users in South Korea, but its the global interest in this new wave of pop stars that’s fueled their popularity.

The same is also reflected in the most tweeted about musicians listing. 

Next up is athletes, with LeBron James’ move to LA pushing his mentions to the top:

In 2018 movies, it was Black Panther that sparked the most tweets, beating out The Avengers: Infinity War.

And for TV shows, Saturday Night Live came out on top, beating the return of Roseanne (and the ensuing controversy around comments made by star Rosie O’Donnell).

As noted, the lists provide some interesting insight into not only the key trends of 2018, but also the focus areas of Twitter’s audience. Most of these are fairly obvious, but some are likely less so, and that could help in your targeting moving forward, providing a better understanding of who and what’s of interest on the platform.

Twitter has also provided regional trend reports for Australia, Canada, Indiaand the UK, if you’re looking for more specific insights from your region. Definitely worth a look to get a better understanding of your target market.

Source: SMT