COVID, Vijay's selfie, and Virat Kohli top Twitter trends in India this year
Twitter's #ThisHappened2020 list reveals Vijay's tweet of a selfie with his fans and Virat Kohli's celebratory post announcing wife Anushka's pregnancy among the top tweets of the year.
COVID-19, Tamil actor Vijay's selfie with his fans, Virat Kohli's post about Anushka Sharma's pregnancy, Ramayan, and Mahabharat were some of the most popular topics of conversations in the country during the year on Twitter.
According to Twitter's #ThisHappened2020 list, Vijay's tweet of a selfie with his fans was the 'most retweeted tweet of 2020' (over 1.61 lakh), while Kohli's celebratory post announcing wife Anushka's pregnancy was the 'most liked tweet of 2020' (6.44 lakh likes).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tweet about lighting lamps of hope and good health during the pandemic, MS Dhoni's appreciation for a letter by Modi after the former India captain announced his retirement from international cricket, and Ratan Tata pledging support to communities affected by COVID-19 were the most retweeted in the arenas of politics, sports and business.
Amitabh Bachchan's tweet on being diagnosed for COVID-19 also featured among the 'golden tweets', reflecting trends that Indians discussed on the platform in 2020.
The list was based on total number of retweets/ likes/ quote tweets by Twitter accounts in India between January 1 and November 15 this year.
"#Covid19 dominated this year with people on Twitter seeking reliable information, connecting with experts and following what was happening in real time.
"The conversations on the service revolved around multiple coronavirus-related topics, including the critical need to #WearAMask," Twitter said.
Tweets expressing being grateful or thankful increased by 20 percent globally, with particular recognition of doctors (up 135 percent) and teachers (up 30 percent).
"Beyond #Covid19, fans paid tribute to #SushantSinghRajput and his career, and denounced the alleged rape of a young Dalit woman in #Hathras.
"People talked about movements taking place across the country, lending their voices to #StudentLivesMatter, #ShaheenBagh, and #FarmersProtest, making those the most Tweeted about people's movements this year," Twitter said.
It said #Ramayan, #Pokiri and #Mahabharat made a comeback as nostalgia conversations this year, while interests such as #Photography, #Yoga, and #Poetry were widely discussed on the platform.
Twitter was the go-to destination for sports chatter with #IPL2020, #WhistlePodu and #TeamIndia becoming the most tweeted hashtags in sports.
In India, Hindi film #DilBechara, Tamil film #SooraraiPottru and Telugu film #SarileruNeekevvaru were the most tweeted about films this year, and people took a minute to laugh at the relatability of #Binod, making it the most Tweeted meme, it said.
"Being the year it has been, conversation on Twitter in 2020 was unique. From the fight against this global pandemic, rejoicing in celebratory moments, standing up for those communities impacted by the pandemic, to bonding over rediscovered shows, interests and memes, India came together beautifully on Twitter this year," Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari said.
He added that in 2021, while the nation bounces back, Twitter hopes to "continue giving everyone a voice and provide a service to stay virtually engaged with what's happening in the country and the world".
Edited by Teja Lele
