A new analysis reported that the most-tweeted hashtags of 2020 were #BlackLivesMatter, #Oscars, and #Grammys, with all three hashtags being used over 6.6 million times.
The top hashtag statistics are a part of the analysis’ larger report of the most-tweeted hashtag every day in 2020. You can check out the full 366 (yes, 2020 was a leap year) hashtags that made the top of the list here.
The report also included a collection of the most-tweeted hashtags in each month which offered an overview of the trending topics and national conversations throughout the year. Interestingly, in a year that will likely be defined by COVID-19, the month-by-month trends capture other important events and movements that garnered international attention.
For instance, in May, a top hashtag was #BlackLivesMatter as activists tweeted their support and opinions about international movements for racial equity, but in July, the top hashtag was #Hamilton Film, a reference to the recorded version of the Broadway show Hamilton which prompted many viewers to subscribe to Disney+.
While many of the top hashtags were closely tied to the news cycle like the 2020 Presidential Election or national sports happenings, there were several days in which news from across the world generated the most international Twitter buzz. For example, hashtags referencing the Portuguese and Turkish grand Prix, major events in the international Formula One racing scene were top tweets on two different calendar days. Further, global awareness days like #WorldPressFreedomDay and #WorldRefugeeDay were also top-tweeted hashtags across the world.
Of course, there had to have been some unexpected top hashtags throughout the year. Some of the most interesting hashtags that garnered 24 hours of fame were #CyberPunk2077, which to an average viewer may have seemed to reference the future of techno-punk music but actually recognized a popular video game; #MailedIt, an ambiguous hashtag that acknowledged mail-in voting; and #PitMad, a hashtag used by creatives to pitch their ideas to publishers and developers.
Certainly, the hashtags of the past year can provide an interesting look at the ways we connected online even when we had to stay physically apart. Hopefully, future hashtags will be accompanied by selfies with friends tagged in group photos.