The Global News social media audience is rarely short for words. You gushed over animal videos and reacted with anger and empathy when tragedy struck.
Based on analytical data, here’s what you liked, shared, watched and reacted to the most on social media in 2016.
JT left hangin’ by cautious Prince George
Justin Trudeau was Canada’s idol for much of the year (support slipped recently, according to a poll) and Time magazine put him on their list of 100 most influential people. Selfies proliferated, he was the first prime minister to march in a pride parade, and he was celebrated by dignitaries on the global stage. With the exception of one small, yet skeptical, royal.
This video of Prince George snubbing Canada’s prime minister during a September visit to Canada was viewed more than 100,000 times on Facebook and amassed hundreds of comments on everything from royal etiquette to whether JT is worthy of an up-top, with others suggesting Prince George was simply acting like a typical toddler.
READ MORE: Year in Review 2016: The 5 funniest (and strangest) moments from the House of Commons
#PrayforOrlando
#PrayForOrlando – the social media response to the worst mass shooting in U.S. history – was the topic of our most-shared tweet of 2016.
The news broke early Sunday, June 12, when family members were woken by the tragic news that their sons, daughters, brothers and sisters were taken too soon, as they would later find out, at the hand of Omar Mateen.
The Global News audience retweeted the story nearly 2,000 times, and responded with shock and sadness.
“What is the world coming to?”
2016 saw terrorist attacks in major cities across the globe. The social media sphere reacted with #PrayforBrussels, #PrayforNice, #PrayforZurich, #PrayforBerlin and #PrayforAleppo.
READ MORE: Twitter’s year in review for 2016
Close to his heart
This heartwarming twist on a tragic story was ‘liked’ by 13,000 of our audience members. When Jeni Stepien’s father was murdered a decade ago, his heart was donated to a man who had been waiting for one for 16 years. That man, Arthur Thomas, walked Stepien down the aisle on her wedding day, letting a little piece of her dad be a part of her special day.
The story certainly struck a chord. Many commenters said even before finishing the article, they were sobbing in front of their screens, while one commenter, organ recipient Tom Lahey, wrote that the story inspired him to track down his organ donor’s family.
READ MORE: Year in Review: Best photos from around the world in 2016
Paw-sibly the saddest goodbye
A heartfelt goodbye between a California man dying of a brain hemorrhage and Molly, his dog, is @globalnews’ top Instagram post of the year.
With 42,000 views and more than 200 comments, this video surely touched dog lovers and non-dog lovers alike.
Just like Jeni Stepien’s dad, whose heart was donated to a man who “was on death’s door,” Ryan Jessen’s heart will be donated to a 17-year-old boy whose birthday is on Christmas Day, his sister Michelle Jessen wrote in a Facebook post.
READ MORE: Facebook and Instagram’s year in review
Welcomed wizardry
After a successful series by J.K. Rowling, the muggles in the Global News audience (and there are many), were excited to hear that a new Harry Potter book would be coming.
- Life in the forest: How Stanley Park’s longest resident survived a changing landscape
- ‘They knew’: Victims of sexual abuse by Ontario youth leader sue Anglican Church
- Carbon rebate labelling in bank deposits fuelling confusion, minister says
- Buzz kill? Gen Z less interested in coffee than older Canadians, survey shows
With more than 30,000 likes and 8,000 shares, it’s obvious this was a key part of Canadian pop culture in 2016.
The tragically honoured
The Tragically Hip frontman was recently recognized for his work on reconciliation by AFN chiefs in a moving ceremony. The story garnered so much reaction it quickly became one of Global News’ top performing posts of the year on social media.
Gord Downie brought us all to our knees after announcing he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The Global News video, which came on the heels of the Man Machine Poem tour, was shared more than 51,000 times.
READ MORE: Year in review: Wacky and weird science experiments
Seal narrowly escapes hungry orca pod
Four-point-three million viewers cheered this seal on as he hitched a ride on a sport fishing boat close to Powell River, B.C. (The Global News audience really loves a good animal video.)
READ MORE: Facebook Canada 2016 Year in Review: From Chewbacca Mom to Fort McMurray
#Zikavirus
Declared an international health emergency by the World Heath Organization in early 2016, the Zika virus was definitely a top news maker this year. Travellers and Olympic athletes were forced to reconsider their plans, as the virus was a public health concern primarily for pregnant women due to its suggested link to birth defects.
This video was watched 6.6 million times as Canadians searched for answers on the mosquito-borne virus.
READ MORE: Year in review 2016: 10 sports moments even non-sports fans talked about
Most engaging Global News social media post of 2016: Canada, a multicultural mosaic
With Canada being as diverse as it is, it’s no surprise that a video about an earbud that can translate a language in real time is the most engaging post of the year.
With nearly 49 million views, almost 200,000 likes, 50,000 comments and 624,000 shares, it’s safe to say that language translation technology had us stoked in 2016.
READ MORE: Looking back on 2016
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