THE 2015 #YearOnTwitter: The Global Rise of India!

In 2015, Twitter was the place that Indians gathered to be part of local and global conversations and events. It was a year of triumphs and tragedies, of celebrations and crises, and Twitter provided the pulse of the country. From the Golden Tweet (between two global icons) to Most Influential Moments (global interest for Delhi Elections and Diwali) to Most Popular Hashtag Trend (worldwide conversations about IPL) to the first non-US brand to get a Twitter emoji (@MakeInIndia), this was the Year On Twitter to show the global rise of India.

With our exclusive image partner @GettyImages, we’ve unveiled the global #YearOnTwitter at 2015.twitter.com. It’s a place to look back at the most Retweeted Tweets, the most popular trends, and how 2015 unfolded across the world on Twitter.

This was India’s #YearOnTwitter in 2015:

THE GOLDEN TWEET OF 2015

While each Tweet is unique, only one can be named the 2015 “Golden Tweet”: The most Retweeted Tweet of the year. The Golden Tweet for India in 2015 was a Tweet by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk), who Tweeted a selfie with British boyband One Direction's former member, Zayn Malik (@zaynmalik) at the Asian Awards in London in April 2015. It took Twitter by storm with over 141,000 Retweets and viewed nearly 18.3 million times globally on Twitter as fans were thrilled to see the two together in this rare selfie.

MOST INFLUENTIAL MOMENTS IN 2015

Twitter showed the live pulse of the nation in 2015 as Indians were quick to take to the platform to see and discuss the news, politics, sports, political and cultural moments. While individual Tweets soared to be among the most Retweeted, there were several influential and memorable moments that resonated with Indians the most:

1. Cricket World Cup #INDvsPAK (First match of #CWC15 on 15th February)

India beating Pakistan in the first match of the Cricket World Cup in 2015 was the most viewed TV and sports event of the year and drew a record-breaking 118.3 million Impressions on Twitter, including the magical #OnlyOnTwitter moment when Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) Tweeted after the win.

2. #DelhiElections (Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections on 10th February)

Twitter played a powerful role during the Delhi Legislative Assembly Elections held in February 2015 where hashtags #DelhiElections and #DelhiVotes became points of convergence of all elections conversations. Twitter provided the perfect window to this exciting political moment that saw Aam Aadmi Party (@AAP) winning the majority of votes. There were over 10.8 million elections-related Tweets during the 30-day campaign period.

3. #HappyDiwali (India and the world celebrated Diwali on Twitter from 8th to 13th November)

Through multiple activations including the first-ever Diwali emoji, Twitter provided a way for users to be delighted using the platform. Along with the emoji, Twitter asked audiences to Tweet photos of their favourite Diwali moments using the hashtag #HappyDiwali, and then shared a collage of #HappyDiwali Tweets in the form of a lamp on www.diwaliontwitter.com.

4. #ChennaiRains (Users unite to help during the crisis, 1st-4th December)

Twitter was used as a platform to provide reports, disseminate critical information and coordinate local relief efforts during the record-breaking Chennai floods. Local citizens sent over 1.4 million Tweets using #ChennaiRains, #ChennaiFloods and #ChennaiRainsHelp hashtags to crowdsource assistance and help each other through this natural disaster.

5. Independence Day: (India’s 69th Independence Day, 15th August)

The 69th year of Independence for India was marked on Twitter with three key moments. India got its first Independence Day flag emoji with #India, The Taj Mahal joined Twitter as one of the first historic Indian monuments to join Twitter, and there was an inspirational #SaluteSelfie campaign that recorded over 100,000 Tweets to show gratitude for the Armed Forces.

POPULAR HASHTAG TRENDS OF 2015

Popular Twitter hashtag trends in India saw a mixture of sports, entertainment, political and social activism movements. Here are several top hashtag conversations this year:

1. #IPL: The biggest T20 cricket league in the world made a full season return to India after being partially played in the Middle East last year and saw cricket fans enthusiastically engaging in public conversation about the league with over 9 million #IPL Tweets this season.
2. #SelfieWithDaughter: This Modi-led campaign started in the state of Haryana in July 2015 to promote the rights of the girl child and started trending within hours as dads clicked selfies with their daughters to participate in the initiative with over 375,000 #SelfieWithDaughter Tweets.
3. #BiharResults: One of the largest states of India went to the polls this October-November, and Twitter provided front-row access to the unfolding conversations. #BiharElections got the chatter going about breaking news, candidates sparring over agendas, and wooing the public. #BiharResults trended on polling day with over 260,000 Tweets.
4. #SaalEkShuruaatAnek: Indian Prime Minister @narendramodi's first year as PM saw unique engagements with citizens and global leaders, and he has used the platform to enforce e-governance and digital diplomacy. On his first year anniversary in office, there were over 179,000 #SaalEkShuruaatAnek Tweets.
5. #DDLJ20Years: This October, iconic Bollywood love story, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge turned 20 and it celebrated its birthday on Twitter with fans and celebrities reminiscing about their favourite DDLJ dialogues, scenes, songs, and photos. Twitter presented a wonderful reflection to all the excitement with over 140,000 #DDLJ20Years Tweets.

MOST FOLLOWED ACCOUNTS IN 2015

India’s list of most followed Indian accounts in 2015 is dominated by Bollywood stars and the Prime Minister. This year PM Modi (@narendramodi) takes the 3rd spot having quadrupled his number of followers from 4 million when he took office last May to over 16 million now, making him the biggest gainer on the top 10 list in 2015.