Facebook Reveals the Biggest Trends of 2013

by Seth Fiegerman@sfiegerman for @mashable

Miley Cyrus and the Royal Baby may have been all over Facebook this year, but neither proved to be top conversation driver on the social network.

Pope Francis was the most talked about topic on Facebook worldwide this year, according tonew data from the company, which measured the number of posts mentioning a particular person or event, including related hashtags. The word “election,” broadly, was the second-most talked about topic followed by the royal baby.

Cyrus came in at No. 7 on the list, one spot behind another viral phenomenon, the Harlem Shake. More somber subjects like the Boston Marathon bombings and the deaths of Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela also ranked among the top 10 on Facebook’s list.

In the United States, the list of top topics looks much different. Pope Francis ranks just No. 6 on the list and the Royal Baby ranks No. 8. The Super Bowl takes the top spot on the list, followed by the government shutdown.

For those interested, Facebook also offers the option for individual users to create their own years in review, which highlight some of your biggest posts from the year.

Image: Chris Jackson/Getty and Facebook