Twitter: #ThisHappened in 2016 See what people discussed on Twitter

What a year! From news and entertainment to sports and politics, around the world or around the block; it all happened on Twitter. Today, we’re reflecting back on the moments and memories that defined 2016!

Globally, 2016 was the year when CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey Tweeted in Arabic for the first time, making it his second ever most Retweeted Tweet.  

Saudi Arabia saw a number of historic changes that set the country’s #السعودية on a different course with a promising future especially with the announcement of Vision 2030 #رؤية _السعودية_2030.

To mark the end of the year, we’ve delved into our data to create our annual roundup, by launching #ThisHappened. Here are some of the most influential moments from Saudi Arabia and around the world:

Top Moments in KSA

We looked at the top KSA events that created the biggest buzz in KSA Twitter traffic in 2016. Results revealed that, similar to last year, Saudi Arabia remains a nation of TV and football fans, with Twitter traffic spiking during Abdul Latif Al Jameel League # دوري_عبداللطيف_جميل football matches. Our research reveals that the volume of Tweets in Saudi Arabia during the top six games of the league has increased this year by over 66%.

Tweets related to Ramadan this year, with more than 37 million mainly from Saudi Arabia, were viewed more than 10.7 billion times globally. Ramadan was the month of TV in Saudi Arabia with #سيلفي (Selfie) and #الشريان (Al Sheryan) rating top among all anticipated series and hosts during the holy month. @mohammed_Abdu was one of the popular celebrities who joined Twitter for the first time during #Ramadan to connect with his most loyal fans and share updates about his events.

As for national celebrations, 3.1 million Tweets were sent in celebration of the 86th Saudi National holiday, which ranked  the top 12th hashtag, and top 2nd event in Saudi Arabia. (#اليوم_الوطني)

Top sports moments on Twitter that caused the largest spikes in KSA Twitter activity in 2016 are as below:

1. Final game of the 2015-16 Saudi Crown Prince Cup (19 February).
2. 2016 Saudi Super Cup as one of the hottest matches this year (8 August).
3. Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates match scoring 3-0 for World Cup 2018 Qualifiers (11 October).
4. 2015-16 Saudi Professional League (24 April).

Top Trends in KSA

Below are some of the top trending hashtags in KSA:

Conversations

• Tweet about goodness -غرد_بالخير#
• Something nice in three letters - شي_حلو_من_3_احرف#
• Account worth following - حساب_يستحق_المتابعه#
• Give us a picture taken by you - عطنا_صوره_من_تصويرك#
• What life has taught me - مما_علمتني_اياه_الحياه#

Ruling family and government officials

• King Salman - الملك_سلمان#
• Mohammad Bin Nayef - محمد_بن_نايف#
• Mohammad Bin Salman - محمد_بن_سلمان#
• Adel Al Jubeir -عادل_الجبير#
• Khaled AL Faisal - خالد_الفيصل#

Sports

• Al Hilal Football Team - الهلال#
• Al Nassr Football Team -النصر#
• Al Ittihad Football Team - الاتحاد#
• Al Ahli Football team - الاهلي#
• #Euro2016

Most Retweeted

Each year, we crown the most Retweeted Tweet of the year, this Tweet tells a different story about what message resonated with millions of Twitter users around the world.

Similar to last year, @KingSalman took the top spot in KSA, as he reached out to the nation regarding North Thunder. King Salman’s Tweet ranked in the top 100 global Retweets (https://twitter.com/KingSalman/statuses/708282038625951744) in which he expressed his pride for taking part in North Thunder #رعد_الشمال .  

People also come to Twitter to get closer to their idols, Retweeting, liking and replying to messages from the accounts they follow. Tweets from the Kingdom that saw a high number of Retweets include:

King Salman’s Tweet:

-       @KingSalman Tweeted wishing the nation a Eid Mubarak

Khalid Bin Talal’s Tweet:

-       @Khalid_BinTalal The 18th question of Khalid Bin Talal’s Ramadan competition that took place only on Twitter and engaged the Saudi audience.

Mohammad Bin Nayef’s Tweet:

-       @M_Naif_Alsaud Announcing his start of his personal account on Twitter to enhance the communication with all members of the society

Year of Stickers!

Last year on Twitter we saw 2015 as the year of Emojis, with the