Tumblr has unveiled its fourth annual “Year in Review” of top trending topics on the platform in 2016, across categories including the most popular movies, actors, actresses, albums, athletes, and more, in addition to Tumblr-native categories like memes and “ships.”
The list reveals the biggest social trends and memes from the past year:
– Kylie Jenner is the top reality TV star
– Taylor Swift tops the top music solo artists list
– 5 Seconds of Summer top the music bands list
A very friendly caterpillar named Chicken Nugget took the top spot on the Top Posts list, being reblogged millions of times and beating the likes of the Pokémon-themed ‘Bulbasaur blooming season’ and ‘My mind says college but…’ posts.
It’s been a year of personalised memes, with ‘tag yourself’ being the top meme on Tumblr. The infamous internet sensation Doge also made the list at no.10.
The lists were tabulated through an in-depth analyzation of millions of blogs, posts, reblogs and likes from Tumblr users, providing a unique look into the year’s biggest happenings in pop culture according to Tumblr’s massive community.
“Tumblr is home to some of the most shareable, creative, and buzzworthy content that often drives the conversations happening across the internet,” said Amanda Brennan, Senior Content Insights Manager at Tumblr. “Our 2016 Year in Review provides a glimpse into the people, cultural moments and ideas that resonated most with the millions of young, expressive and engaging Tumblr users.”
Below are a few notable lists from Tumblr’s 2016 “Year in Review.” You can find all of the 23 categories at tumblr.com/2016
A friendly caterpillar named Chicken Nugget was the #1 Post on Tumblr this year. When a 16-year old from Georgia documented Chicken Nugget’s journey toward becoming a butterfly (that she aptly named Chicken Wing), the story went far and wide on Tumblr, with millions of notes and reblogs. Here’s the full list of Top Posts on Tumblr in 2016.
Top Posts
1. Friendly Caterpillar
2. Employment Jelly
3. Rainbows
4. It’s the stress
5. Like a Dream
6. Puppy love
7. Bulbasaur blooming season
8. Night Sky
9. My mind says college but…
10. Oh snap
Identity was a huge theme across the Tumblr community in 2016, which is why it was no surprise that the Top Meme of 2016 was Tag Yourself — a slew of weird pop-culture references that prompt users to pick the one with which they most identify, often self-deprecating or irreverent. Tag Yourself became a quick Internet addiction, with millions of notes and reblogs in 2016. Here’s the full list of Top Memes of 2016.
Top Memes
1. Tag Yourself
2. Moodboard
3. Inktober
4. History of Japan
5. Gemsona
6. The Signs As…
7. Draw the Squad
8. Dat Boi
9. Petty Revenge
10. Doge
Here’s the most popular Tag Yourself meme:
The CW’s science-fiction drama series “The 100” dominated Tumblr this year, with the show’s stars topping the list of actresses, and two of the show’s characters making up the #1 “Ship” — an imaginary romantic relationship between two fictional characters or real-life personalities, created by the Tumblr community. This year’s top ship was Clexa, a combination of Commander Alexa and Clarke Griffin. Here’s the full list of Top Ships, and Top Actresses of 2016.
Top Ships
1. Clexa – Clarke Griffin & Commander Lexa, “The 100”
2. Dan and Phil – Dan Howell & Phil Lester, YouTubers
3. Larry Stylinson – Harry Styles & Louis Tomlinson, One Direction
4. Destiel – Dean Winchester & Castiel, “Supernatural”
5. Malec – Magnus Bane & Alec Lightwood, “Shadowhunters”
6. Klance – Keith & Lance, “Voltron: Legendary Defender”
7. Wigetta – Willyrex & Vegetta777, YouTubers
8. Stucky – Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes, “Captain America: Civil War”
9. Kylux – Kylo Ren & General Hux, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
10. Reylo – Rey & Kylo Ren, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”
Top Actresses
1. Alycia Debnam-Carey
2. Daisy Ridley
3. Eliza Taylor
4. Jennifer Lawrence
5. Margot Robbie
6. Kate McKinnon
7. Gillian Anderson
8. Zendaya
9. Emma Watson
10. Kristen Stewart
In a year of countless important conversations, Feminism was the most discussed topic. These were the issues the Tumblr community talked about at the highest volume throughout 2016.
2016’s Most Discussed Social Issues
1. Feminism
2. Black Lives Matter
3. Police brutality
4. Equality
5. Terrorism
6. Representation
7. Disability
8. Diversity
9. Refugees
10. Reproductive rights
You can find all of the 23 categories at tumblr.com/2016.