Boston Was One of the Most Buzzed About Topics On Facebook In 2013

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The data crunchers at Facebook are winding down 2013 and looking back at the most shared—or as they say “talked about”—stories of 2013, and Boston made it onto three different top 10 lists, according to the social media site.

“Conversations happening all over Facebook offer a unique snapshot of the world, and this year was no different. Every day, people post about the topics and milestones that are important to them—everything from announcing an engagement, to discussing breaking news, or even celebrating a favorite athlete or sports team. We analyzed the past year’s worth of these posts to reveal the top global trends of 2013,” said Robert D’Onofrio, Facebook’s resident data editor.

Based on their numbers, the team picked apart the most “talked about” subjects around the world, and No. 8 on their list was the Boston Marathon, coming in after Miley Cyrus, the Harlem Shake, and Pope Francis, who dominated the overall list at the No. 1 spot.

To figure out where Boston and the tragic events on Boylston Street factored into the list, Facebook employees measured how many posts mentioned the topic since April, and then ranked those topics based on the overall number of mentions to compile the information, D’Onofrio said. “Mentions include both the term itself and related hashtags. For example, both ‘Here at the #inauguration’ and ‘Proud to be at the presidential inauguration’ would be calculated as part of the buzz related to a single event,” he wrote.

Here’s the full list of Facebook’s most talked-about topics around the world in 2013:

1. Pope Francis
2. Election
3. Royal Baby
4. Typhoon
5. Margaret Thatcher
6. Harlem Shake
7. Miley Cyrus
8. Boston Marathon
9. Tour de France
10. Nelson Mandela

In addition to the global data, Facebook also took a look at data specific to the U.S., analyzing the trends to curate a list of the most buzzed-about news topics on the site.

Third on the list, just behind the Super Bowl and the Government Shutdown, were discussions about the Boston Marathon. Presumably because of the bombing, Facebook users had more to say about the day of the race than they did about the crisis in Syria, the George Zimmerman trial, and the newest Pope in Rome. Here’s the full ranking:

1. Super Bowl
2. Government Shutdown
3. Boston Marathon
4. Syria Crisis
5. Harlem Shake
6. Pope Francis
7. George Zimmerman
8. Royal Baby
9. Nelson Mandela
10. Presidential Inauguration

Facebook also released data of the most popular destinations in the U.S. based on check-ins this year. Disneyland, Times Square, and Epcot came in on top, but people checked in at Fenway more frequently than MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, putting the park at No. 8 on the list:

1. Disneyland & Disney California Adventure (Anaheim, CA)
2. Times Square (New York, NY)
3. Epcot – Walt Disney World (Lake Buena Vista, FL)
4. Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, CA)
5. AT&T Park (San Francisco, CA)
6. Rangers Ballpark (Arlington, TX)
7. Universal Studios Hollywood (Universal City, CA)
8. Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
9. MGM Grand Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, NV)
10. Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo (Houston, TX)

That so many people checked into Fenway, which was likely a byproduct of the excitement surrounding their rally for a World Series victory, is probably less surprising than the fact that pitcher Jake Peavy bought a Duck Boat, and Mike Napoli found his shirt.