2011 in tweets: Apple, Sports, Sci-Fi, but mostly the Arab Spring

The Arab Spring was one of the most tweeted events of 2011, according to Twitter’s list of 2011 hot topics, released today.  #egypt and #jan25 top and tail the most tweeted hashtag list this year.  While in world news the resignation of the country’s President, Mubarak, was the most discussed world news event.  Gaddafi‘s death comes fifth on the same list.

In Twitter’s analysis of the most tweeted cities and countries Cairo, Egypt, and Libya all prominently feature.  Following the devastating earthquake in Japan in March the country was also widely discussed.

Interestingly, in a year of even further financial worry the recession and the global economic meltdown did not feature on the lists.

Tech – Apple up, Microsoft down
Looking at the tech list Apple scores well with four mentions in the top ten for Mac App Store (1), iPad (6), iPhone (7); the iPod  comes in sorry tenth position.  The company’s latest baby, Siri, doesn’t get a mention; perhaps coming too late to break the top 10.  Steve Jobs was not one of the most tweeted celebrity names this year, although his death in October received the most tweets per second that month, (6,049). Similarly his resignation in August was one of the most tweeted-per-second events that month (7,064).

Microsoft  doesn’t get mention in the tech list although the ailing Nintendo 3DS comes in eighth.   Guitar Hero was the most tweeted game, just beating the long-awaited Duke Nukem Forever.  Open source’s only mention on the list comes in the form of Mozilla’s Firefox, even though it is losing ground to Google’s Chrome.  There was also no mention of Google+ in the list…

Sports and the second screen
But Apple does score in another way on Twitter’s lists as perhaps one of the most used “second screens” this year; looking at the list of the most tweeted events per second in 2011 sports events generated the most TPS.  In February the Superbowl was responsible for 4,064 tps; the UEFA Champions League recorded 6,303 tps in May, which is more than the NBA finals in June (5,531).  July’s Home Run Derby amassed 4,995 tps, while in the same month Brazil’s elimination from the Copa America generated 7,166 tweets per second and the FIFA Women’s World Cup scored a little more with 7,196 tps.

Geek chic
Not to let the jocks take over, the geeks among us were actively tweeting about Sci-Fi films this year.  Four of the top five tweeted films in 2011 were Sci-Fi, Thor (1), The Dark Knight Rises (2), X-Men: First Class (3), and the Green Hornet (5).  In case you’re keeping count that two for Marvel Comics, one for DC Comics – although to be fair The Dark Knight Rises has not even been released.

#winning
In entertainment news Charlie Sheen and his #tigerblood were leading the pack but he was joined this year by few friends (oddly #winning didn’t make the top ten, which is a bit of a #fail).  Jerry Seinfeld (@JerrySeinfeld), Rafael Nadal (@RafaelNadal), and Lewis Black @TheLewisBlack) signed up in July.  While in September Salman Rushdie (@SalmanRushdie), Alan Partridge (@ThisisPartridge ), the House of Lords (@UKHouseofLords), and Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) started tweeting.  Also in September Melinda Gates (@melindagates) joined her husband on the site.

Cheers
And finally we Irish can be happy that Guinness made the list as one of the most tweeted drinks of the year.  Which is worth raising glass to, Slainté.