Events

#ThisHappened in 2019: millennials defining top moments across APAC

By ‎@dseowtwtr‎
Thursday, 12 December 2019

Twitter is unique as a global public conversation platform that shows you what’s happening right now and lets you talk about it with anyone around the world. From discovering your interests and connecting with others, to expressing yourself, you can be your authentic self on Twitter. 

This year on Twitter in Asia Pacific belonged to our young millennials and GenZ audiences. From #Kpop to #ClimateStrike to some of the world’s biggest democratic elections, we saw them more actively participating in discussions about a wider range of issues than ever and these conversations are becoming driving forces that are instrumental in shaping our future. 

That’s why it is so fascinating to see what we have collectively talked about in 2019 – the top Tweets and most-discussed hashtag topics in Asia Pacific this year will surely make you smile, cry a little, and your heart may even skip a beat. If you look beyond the big personalities, you’ll see many everyday persons and interesting topics on our year-end lists that will hopefully inspire you to join the real-life conversations on Twitter, too.

As 2019 draws to a close, here are some of the most interesting and talked about topics across the region that emerged on Twitter.

Most discussed Kpop accounts worldwide

Popular Kpop bands BTS (@BTS_twt), EXO (@weareoneEXO) and GOT7 (@GOT7Official) still led our global most-discussed #KpopTwitter accounts list this year, but we also saw a trend of individual team member accounts rising above the crowd.

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Most discussed entertainment topics in APAC

Kpop is still going strong on Twitter - we saw a total of 102 million Tweets worldwide related to the annual #2019MAMA Awards, while widely-anticipated movie and TV franchise finales of Avengers and Games of Thrones (@GameOfThrones) also landed in Asia in a big way.

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Most discussed international sports competitions in APAC

Football is no doubt the dominant sport on our platform in Asia Pacific as the UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) took the crown of the most discussed international sports competition of 2019, surpassing the popular Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) and Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup).

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Most discussed news topics in APAC

Cultural events in Japan topped the most discussed news topics on Twitter in Asia and the historic announcement of the “Reiwa” era certainly sparked a huge amount of conversations on our platform, while many also talked about the Hong Kong protests and movements such as #ClimateStrike, led by the Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg).

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Most discussed political hashtags and accounts in APAC

It is no surprise that the most-discussed political hashtags and accounts of the year were driven by national elections around the region. From India to Indonesia to Australia, conversations spiked as many young millennials and GenZ were first-time voters and expressed their excitement to have their voices heard during the campaigning and voting periods.

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The Most Retweeted Tweets from around the Asia Pacific region

South Korea has the worldwide Golden Tweet for 2019

Yes, the power of #KpopTwitter propelled BTS (@bts_twt) member Jungkook’s video Tweet of him dancing to Billie Eilish’s (@billieeilish) “Bad Guy” (over the World Record Egg’s Tweet) to become the most Retweeted Tweet (aka the Golden Tweet) worldwide in 2019:

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Australia

Robert Irwin (@RobertIrwin), the son of famed Australian zookeeper and television personality Steve Irwin, Tweeted a re-created iconic crocodile-feeding moment of his late father’s 15 years later.

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India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) Tweeted to celebrate his second Lok Sabha election win.

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Indonesia

The Indonesian President Joko Widodo (@jokowi) Tweeted a heartwarming moment between him and his grandson walking around the Presidential Palace in Bogor, Java.

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Malaysia

A video Tweet featured Noor Neelofa (@Neelofa), a popular Malaysian fashion personality and entrepreneur reciting an encouraging prayer for strength.

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The Philippines 

A girl with amazing vocals Samantha Rubia (@sammirubia) was filmed by her sister while singing which really took their parents by surprise - and Twitter loved it!

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Singapore

A fun video Tweet showcased the people behind the uniforms at the Singapore Civil Defence Force (@SCDF).

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Thailand

A photo Tweet of a peaceful waterfront view with a beautiful tri-coloured sunset photographed by @nnxnknxe.

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Can’t wait to talk about these top Tweets and most-discussed topics? Join the #ThisHappened2019 conversation on Twitter right now using any of the hashtags listed below and you’ll see a fun emoji in your Tweet. Also check out our Twitter accounts around Asia Pacific which are sharing inspiring #ThisHappened2019 moments to showcase the power of a single Tweet to spark authentic conversations among real people worldwide. We’re celebrating these voices as their public conversations make Twitter, and the world, a better place for all.

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