From US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to the shocking death of African-American George Floyd, Facebook on Monday listed the top moments of 2020 on its platform that were sorted into six themes. The six themes are Icon, Social Awakening, COVID-19, Global Politics, Environmental Causes and Faith & Community.
Under the Icon category, "The Kobe Bryant's passing was this year's most discussed moment on Facebook, with the US, Mexico and Philippines sharing the most posts and photos celebrating his life," said Naomi Gleit, VP Product and Social Impact.
"In the three weeks following George Floyd's death, conversations around Black Lives Matter tripled, with an average of 7.5 million mentions on Facebook every day," she said in a blog post.
With 1.8 million members, The Blackout Coalition – a Facebook group supporting Black businesses, is the No 1 largest group among US users. As the pandemic began to surge globally, communities found ways to connect, learn and grow.
"Throughout March, more than 1.5 million Spaniards posted to express their gratitude for medical staff using #aplausosanitario."??Instagram and Facebook Live views doubled in Italy when lockdowns hit, as residents sang on balconies and broadcasted under quarantine.
Meanwhile, in the US, Facebook Live viewership jumped 50 per cent, with many tuning into fitness classes, connecting with artists and more.
"Harris' Vice Presidential selection announcement was the most mentioned moment in August, drawing more than 10 million posts in one day," Gleit said.
More than 1.3 million people globally contributed to the years' largest Facebook fundraiser – and our largest ever – raising more than $35 million to provide relief for those affected by the Australian wildfires.
To date, more than 2.6 million people have raised more than $87 million through Facebook Fundraisers this year to combat climate change, promote ocean clean up, animal protection efforts and much more.
Facebook also listed the top pop culture moments of 2020.
"These much-talked-about moments generated some of the highest levels of interaction across our apps, including the following: Michael Jordan's "The Last Dance" documentary; Dave Chappelle's Netflix special; Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP", among others.