Facebook Releases Most Talked-About Topics In Australia 2016

Facebook announces Year in Review data – the most talked about topics on the platform for 2016-singers, senators, shark and sports were the topics that got the 15 million Australians who regularly use Facebook sharing in 2016.
Year in Review top 10 lists were measured by how frequently a topic was mentioned in Facebook posts made between January and December 2016. To compile this list, Facebook posts were analysed in an aggregated, anonymised way, and then ranked to create a snapshot of the year on Facebook.
Most Talked-About Topics in Australia 2016
1. US Elections
2. Malcolm Turnbull
3. Shark Attacks
4. David Bowie
5. Pokemon Go
6. Pauline Hanson
7. Western Bulldogs and AFL Grand Final
8. Brexit
9. Rodrigo Duterte
10. Olympics
#1 US Election:
Globally, on Facebook, from the day Ted Cruz announced his candidacy back on 23 March 2015 through to election day, 289 million people generating 10 billion interactions (that’s likes, comments, shares and original posts). Whilst this data spans more than just this year, the fact that the US election did not feature in the top ten most talked about topics by Australians in 2015 suggests that 2016 was the year that got Australians most engaged about the election.
#2 Malcolm Turnbull
For the second consecutive year, Malcolm Turnbull came in as second in Facebooks’ year in review data. And the only other Australian politician to join him in the list this year was Pauline Hanson (#6 Pauline Hanson). Last year, the other politician to join Malcolm Turnbull in the top ten list of 2015 was Tony Abbott.
During the ten week election campaign, Malcolm Turnbull was consistently the most talked about politician on Facebook and Pauline Hanson rose to become the third most talked about politician during the election, behind Turnbull and Shorten. Ms Hanson featured in one of the most viewed Federal Election videos after being invited to share a halal snack pack by Sam Dastayari.
In total, during the election campaign, 3.7 million Australians had 32 million election-related interactions (including original posts, likes, comments, shares).
#3 Shark attacks
Shark attacks were the third most talked about topic. Coast to coast there were shark attacks and debate about what to do about it. With West Australian beaches closed in the middle on the year following fatal shark attacks, and the debate raging on the New South Wales coast, as well as in our parliamentary chambers, coffee shops and pubs about what to do to reduce the number of victims, clearly this is an issue that got Australians posting, liking, commenting and sharing in 2016. It’s the first time we have seen this topic in the top ten list since we started counting.
#4 David Bowie
Most Australians were still at the beach, celebrating the new year, when we awoke to discovery that one of music’s legends — David Bowie had passed away. Bowie’s passing generated intense tributes and memories on Facebook — with people remembering their favourite Bowie song, that epic Bowie concert experience, the one time they met him or saw in in person, and of course, his final farewell music video. Throughout the course of 2016 a string of celebrities joined Bowie for what can only big one of the best jam sessions in heaven, so Bowie’s passing set a tone and reference point for many of the subsequent events on 2016.
Facebook’s Top Five David Bowie Posts From Public Figures:
On Facebook, more than 35 million people globally generated 100 million likes, shares and comments within 12 hours of his death. Australia was the second most engaged country on Facebook after the UK, ahead of Iceland, Ireland and New Zealand — suggesting that Bowie’s Let’s Dance video shot in an Australian outback pub endeared him to our hearts forever.
#5 Pokemon Go
The augmented reality game smashed all kinds of record books when it was released mid-way through 2016. Crowds gathered and swarmed to collect rare pokemons, the Northern Territory police were one of the first unwitting pokestops that had to put a sign up advising people they didn’t need to enter the police station to collect their pokeballs and there were reports of injuries as people tried to catch them all. Thanks to the ability to take photo of your pokemon catches, many people shared — not just that they were playing on Facebook — but also that time they finally caught Pikachu.
#7 Western Bulldogs
and the AFL Grand Final Sports always features in the top ten lists for Australians, because we know that Australians love their sports. And this year — after 60 years, the epic victory for the Western Bulldogs becoming champions had people posting, liking and sharing the intense experience after such a long wait. The #10 Olympics rounded out the top ten list as we cheered on our athletes at both the Summer Olympics and the Paraolympics, and then debated their performances.
#8 Brexit
2016 was the year of big politics — whether it was the US Election, the federal election at home or also Brexit. Many people took to Facebook to debate and discuss the referendum on whether Britain should leave the European Union, and the aftermath of the vote to leave. And closer to home, the President of the Philippines, #9 Rodrigo Duterte was the ninth most talked about topic by Australians on Facebook.
The Philippines was the most engaged election on Facebook in the Asia-Pacific region. 25 million people were engaged in election related conversations, generating 315 million interactions.
The most popular posts by our politicians on Facebook on Election Day 2016 are not what you would expect – Adam Bandt had the most overperforming (number of interactions relative to fan size) post overall but then, cutting across the political spectrum, it was photos of our politicians and their families that had our thumbs hitting the like button.
Latest News

Why Advertisers Cannot Overlook The Benefits Of Generative AI
Are you a little late to the generative AI party? Well, pull your popper & toot your whistle to this essential read.

Marc Collister: AI & Automation Set To Revolutionise Creativity In 2024
Marc Collister (pictured) of P2 Content Creators spills the beans on his 2024 predictions drawing from two decades of experience in the advertising, film and television industry. I’m certain it will come as no surprise that in 2024, we can expect our industry to move at breakneck speed again. With even more rapid shifts in […]

Reddit Recap Reveals That Aussies Went Nuts For The Tillies, Eurovision And, Erm, Finance
Reddit’s annual Recap report has revealed the issues and moments that captured Australia’s collective mind over 2023 with, naturally, the Matildas featuring high on the list. The inaugural Australia-hosted Women’s World Cup saw Aussies glued to the footy (or, indeed soccer) with one enterprising user capturing the moment that Cortnee Vine scored the winner against […]

Zeno Group Australia Bolsters Client Offerings With An Expanded Creative Services Portfolio & New Senior Leader
Zeno Australia has announced expanded creative design capabilities and the appointment of Jim Michell (lead image) to its senior leadership team. The new moves support strong growth in the region. Zeno Australia’s clients, including Abano Healthcare, Motorola and Yorkshire Tea, can now tap into a suite of creative design services to augment the agency’s work […]

Spikes Asia Announces Its 2024 Jury Line-Up
Spikes Asia, APAC’s most prestigious and sought-after Award for creativity and marketing effectiveness, has revealed its 2024 Jury line-up today. The 93 industry experts from across 18 markets represent APAC’s leading talent from a diverse range of disciplines. 2024 sees the highest representation from brands, including Budweiser, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and, for the first […]

Assembled Media Inks TikTok Creator Campaign for BIC
Assembled Media, is drawing upon the creative power of TikTok Creator Marketplace to help generate unique, impactful content for iconic stationery brand, BIC. The social activation campaign titled ‘A Pen for Every Side of You’ promotes the flexibility of BIC’s 4 Colours pen and is active nationwide on the BIC Stationery TikTok account. The campaign […]

Wednesday TV Ratings: Aussies Sign Up For Taronga Zoo
With animals proving a ratings winner for the networks yet again, we're expecting odd marsupial cooking mash-ups soon.

If You Can’t Beat The System, Cheat The System: Hardhat Launches ‘Cheat Codes For Challenger Brands’.
Independent creative and CX agency Hardhat has launched an Australian-first suite of growth accelerators; ‘Cheat Codes for Challenger Brands’.

Melinda Petrunoff: Pinterest Predicts Is A “Cheat Sheet” For 2024
Pinterest reckons jellyfish & moody cowboys will be big in 2024. Refused to be drawn on the return of shoulder pads.

IAB Launches Fourth Module In Its Marketing Measurement Innovation Series
IAB Australia has launched ‘Evolution in Market Mix Modelling’, the fourth module in its Marketing Measurement Innovation Series, which has been developed by IAB Australia’s Ad Effectiveness Council. The module explores what is driving the increased use of MMM and how the technique is evolving with advances in computing power and machine learning to provide […]

Scope3 Expands Carbon Measurement Capabilities To Include DOOH Advertising
Scope3, the collaborative sustainability platform leading the decarbonisation of media and advertising, announced the addition of digital out-of-home (DOOH) to its emissions measurement. With DOOH ad spending predicted to grow from $17B in 2023 to nearly $24B by 2028, measuring this channel brings us one step closer to understanding the total impact of digital advertising […]

VOZ Enters Final Phase Of Total TV Viewing
This headline can be made so much more appealing by reading it with a Darth Vader-like inflection.

Selfies! Swipes! Scrolling! It’s The Best Of The Best Social Media Directors, Presented By Finecast, Part Of GroupM Nexus
Social media's far more than faffing about with videos of the office dog, as these digital maestros attest.

Thinkerbell Unveils Pringles “Shoot From The Chip” After Winning Competitive Pitch
Other than heroin, nicotine and Sex In The City re-runs, is there anything more addictive than the Pringle chip?

Now Open For Registration – NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific
NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific, is now open for online registrations for the main conference. Jointly organized by the National Retail Federation and Comexposium, Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific will take place from 11 – 13 June, 2024 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore and is expected to draw thousands […]

“He Cannot Die Without People Knowing What He’s Done”: Alan Jones Accused Of Indecently Assaulting Young Men
As sad as it is to say about these unsavoury allegations, why does it not come as any real surprise?

B&T TV – Jasmin Bedir On Why Trade Media Needs To “Drop The Shade”
Much like the arrival of tequila shots, you know you're in for a rollicking good time when Jasmin Bedir gets involved.

Kmart Does Christmas Via Dentsu Creative
Kmart is always B&T's one-stop shop at Christmas. Particularly for people we don't overly like.

Wavemaker Promotes James Boardman To Chief Strategy Officer
James Boardman amps up his Dungeons & Dragons creds as he's named Wavemaker's chief strategy officer.

When It Doesn’t Feel So Good Being Bad – It’s 2023’s Top Banned Ads
Other than a Cannes Lion, there's arguably no greater honour in advertising than getting your ad banned by a watchdog.

Taylor Swift Named Time’s Person Of The Year, Beating Out Putin, King Charles & Barbie!
Did you spend 172 hours staring at your computer screen & still didn't get Taylor Swift tickets? Stare some more here.

Petbarn & Greencross Vets Create Live Parasite Tracking Tool Via Howatson+Company
Could your incessant itch & dark urine actually be a sign of parasite infestation? Mark this as a must read.

Imogen Hewitt Promoted To Publicis’ Chief Media Officer ANZ
Imogen Hewitt's ascendancy at Publicis continues apace. Not that she's to be known as Dame Imogen Hewitt.

Icon Agency Nabs Michael Knox From Think HQ
We're still three weeks off the 31st, but already it's a "new year, new me" for Michael Knox as he joins Icon Agency.

James Warburton Resigns From Seven
James Warburton calls time on his Seven career. Also refusing all calls from Rugby Australia.

DBC2 Appoints Jason Fisher To Newly Created Role Of CEO
Following a period of significant client growth, leading auto marketing agency, DBC2 has appointed Jason Fisher (lead image) to the newly created role of CEO. The appointment is part of DBC2’s long term growth strategy ahead of the agency announcing a brand refresh and expanded proposition in early-2024. As a new shareholder of the business, […]

ACCC To Crackdown On Influencers & Businesses For Misleading Advertising & Dodgy Reviews
ACCC announces crackdown on dodgy influencers and online reviews. Which, it must be said, is their job.

Alastair Baker Promoted To Havas’ National Head Of Planning
Havas' Alastair Baker has a spring in his step and a song in his heart today following work promotion.

Three New Hires At Amplify
Extra pressure on Amplify's Nescafé Blend 43 catering tin today with the arrival of three new recruits.

Troye Sivan Named GQ’s Man Of The Year
Shannon Noll once again savagely cruelled by the GQ judges as KFC work goes unrecognised at Man Of The Year awards.

Indy Clinton, The Matildas & Fitzroy Garage Party Honoured At 2023 TikTok Awards
B&T a lucky attendee at last night's TikTok Awards. Disappointed not to see any cats playing piano, however.

Digital Advertising Excellence: A Blueprint For Maximum Engagement & Sustainability
Much like the importance of daily flossing, this is a gentle reminder of the damage crap creative can do.

What Are You Waiting For?! Enter TikTok Young Lions Now!
We're certainly not young, talented and trendy but you likely are, so enter the TikTok Young Lions comp!

Boomtown’s Final Masterclass Of 2023 Attended By Almost 100 Media Reps
Don’t treat regional media as a charity, but a real growth opportunity: That’s the message from Boomtown’s final masterclass of 2023, attended by almost 100 media industry representatives from across the nation. The masterclass was part of a series of educational sessions, delivered by Boomtown, the media collective championing advertising in regional Australia. The sessions […]

Mister Cartoon & Turtle Wax Partnership Launches In Australia & New Zealand Via DIJGTAL
DIJGTAL launches ‘The Art of Car Care’, an exciting partnership between renowned LA street artist and icon, Mister Cartoon and Turtle Wax in Australia and New Zealand.

GTA VI Trailer Smashes YouTube Viewership Records
This trailer marks great news for spotty teenagers and socially awkward people around the world.