Facebook 2012: One Direction Nearly as Popular as Obama

The Associated Press, Tuesday, December 11, 2012, 10:00pm (PST)

Billboard -- It's that time of year again, when there is a collective urge to reflect on the whirlwind of events that shaped the past 12 months before we salute the New Year. Facebook on Wednesday joined in that annual exercise, releasing its Year in Review - a look back at the most discussed trends and stories of 2012 on the world's largest social network. One Direction had a banner year on Facebook. The U.K. boy band made the top 5 for two lists: the most popular songs listened to via music apps on Facebook at No. 4 with "What Makes You Beautiful," as well as top public figures mentioned on the network at No. 3, after Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Among the most mentioned events, Whitney Houston's death ranked No. 3, as the songstress' passing triggered tidal waves of comments among Facebook's 1 billion users. Meanwhile, "Gangnam Style" was the fifth-most mentioned meme on Facebook, with PSY's No. 2 hit sending cultural shock waves across the social platform before becoming YouTube's most-watched video ever. The following is a handful of lists put out by Facebook. To view all of Facebook's 2012 Trend lists, visit facebookstories.com/2012. Songs (app listens): 1. We Are Young - feat. Janelle Monáe - Fun 2. Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye 3. Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen 4. What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction 5. Payphone - Maroon 5 Memes (mentions): 1. TBH (To Be Honest) 2. YOLO (You Only Live Once) 3. KONY 4. One-word Comment 5. Gangnam Style Public Figures (mentions): 1. Barack Obama 2. Mitt Romney 3. One Direction 4. Tim Tebow 5. Eli and Peyton Manning Events (mentions): 1. US Presidential Election 2. Superbowl XLVI 3. Death of Whitney Houston 4. Superstorm Sandy 5. London 2012 Olympics

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