2021 Meta Year-in-Review: All things trending on Facebook, Instagram in India

Meta today released its annual ‘Year-in-review’ to share the top trending topics on Facebook and Instagram for 2021. Vaccines, Olympics, and Captain Vikram Batra’ were among the top trending topics.

Every year the Year-in-Review reflects the themes that define the top keywords for the year. For 2021, Covid and health, sports, and an assortment of cultural moments and topics captured the minds of Indians across Facebook and Instagram. We also have a section of trending on Reels.

Covid and health

‘Prayer’, ‘Oxygen’ and ‘Hospital’ were the top trending topics within this theme, as India grappled with the second wave of Covid and people reached out to each other for support on our platforms. This then graduated to various ‘Vaccine’ and vaccination related topics, as people looked to immunize themselves from the virus. A surprising trend though was ‘Flaxseed’ that a lot of people shared and discussed because of its perceived benefits.

Sports

2021 will always be marked as the year when India created history at the Olympics. With the highest ever tally of medals at the ‘Tokyo Olympics’ and ‘Paralympics Games’, the country celebrated its athletes with ‘Gold medal’ becoming a key topic of discussion. Test cricket made a big comeback, especially as India made it to the finals of the inaugural ‘ICC World Test Championship’. Also, ‘Women’s One Day International cricket’ has been a trending topic, as cricketers like Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana, and Jhulan Goswami make India proud with their performances on the field.

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Cultural moments and topics

Facebook and Instagram are embedded in the cultural fabric of India and the trending topics within this theme depict the diversity in interests that the country has. Among Indian festivals and celebrations, ‘Garba’ emerged as a top trend. With the release of the Bollywood movie ‘Shershaah’ around ‘Independence Day’, Indians remembered Param Vir Chakra Awardee ‘Captain Vikram Batra’ for his bravery. Lastly, ‘Jewelry’ and ‘Cryptocurrency’ emerged as topics of interest, illustrating India’s traditional and modern outlook.

Trending on Reels

Reels has been the gateway for young people to express themselves, showcase their talent and break out as the new stars of Instagram. Some of them can be seen on the 25 Under 25 Instagrammers of India list. Some of the top songs popular on Reels (in the past 90 days are):

• Raataan Lambiyan (from ‘Shershaah’) by Tanishk Bagchi
• Love nwantiti (feat. Dj Yo! & AX’EL) [Remix] by CKay
• Tu Milta Hai Mujhe by Raj Barman

Some of the top trends or challenges popular on Reels this year are:

• Bachpan Ka Pyaar – a lip sync & dance trend
• Baarish Ki Jaaye – a trending involving remix and an AR effect
• Lut Gaye (feat. Emraan Hashmi) – a lip sync trend.

A complete list of all the trends

Covid and health

• Prayer
• Oxygen
• Vaccine
• Hospital
• Flaxseed

Sports

• Gold medal
• Tokyo Olympics
• ICC World Test Championship
• Women’s One Day International cricket
• Paralympic Games

Cultural moments

• Garba
• Captain Vikram Batra
• Independence Day
• Jewellery
• Cryptocurrency

Some of the top songs on Reels (90 days)

• Raataan Lambiyan (From “Shershaah”) by Tanishk Bagchi
• love nwantiti (feat. Dj Yo! & AX’EL) [Remix], by CKay
• Tu Milta Hai Mujhe, by Raj Barman
• Terre Pyaar Mein by Himesh Reshammiya
• Naam Tera by Ndee Kundu

Some of the top trends on Reels

• Raataan Lambiyan (From “Shershaah”) (lip sync trend)
• Iphone Lock Screen (AR effect trend)
• Bachpan Ka Pyaar (lip sync & dance trend)
• Baarish Ki Jaaye (Remix & AR trend)
• Lut Gaye (feat. Emraan Hashmi) (lip sync trend)

Some of the top AR effects used

• Redglitch by @ccssiano
• Party Lights by @dhfdz_
• Red Rose by @maf._.a07
• Maple by @vieryvito
• Al1 soften by @rahmamqf

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