The best of 2013 on YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter
Friday, December 20, 2013
by Carol Glover
Life
The best of 2013 on YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter
What did we watch, post and tweet most in 2013? It’s a fascinating mix of goosebump-inducing, heart-wrenching and giggle-prompting content. Enjoy!
YouTube
On YouTube, two threads run through the most-viewed ads – nostalgia and poop. The Evian dancing babies remind us we were all young once, while Microsoft rewinds to the 90s and the Audi spot takes us back to the prom for a satisfying comeuppance. And then there’s Poo Pourie and Kmart’s “Ship My Pants”. Both spots channel our inner fourth grader. I mean, if farts are funny, poop is hilarious, right?
Most of all, the YouTube ads did what all great ads do, they either surprised or delighted us. We love being in on the surprise, whether it’s the quiet power of the Dove “Real Beauty Sketches” or the “prank” of the Pepsi MAX “Test Drive”. And what could be more delightful than the Geico “Hump Day” camel or Volkswagen’s “Get Happy”?
Most viewed YouTube ads of 2013
On Instagram, the most-liked post was a photo of two megastars, but the highest volume of photos were posted during the Thanksgiving/Hanukkah overlap. And while #selfie, #food, #friends and #fashion were the top hashtags on Instagram in 2013, the number one hashtag was #love. Awww.
Most popular Instagram photos of 2013
Tumblr
Brands used animated GIFs as in-stream sponsored posts to the (somewhat surprising) delight of Tumblr users. Sentimental, sweet and quirky executions got the most reblogs and likes (what Tumblr calls “notes”) for movies like “Despicable Me 2”, “The Hangover Part III”, “The Great Gatsby” and “The Purge”, and brands like Converse, Ford and AT&T.
History, tragedy and notable passings generated the most conversation in the Twitterverse during 2013. Obama’s inauguration and the Boston Marathon bombing drove millions of tweets, while the deaths of Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela and Glee star Cory Monteith became trending topics and set tweet per second and retweet records.
Tags: Web & Digital, Culture