Twitter’s top tweets of 2018: K-pop takes the lead

Twitter's global reach was on full display in 2018.

International events such as the FIFA World Cup in Russia and the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, gave sports fans a lot to talk about on the social network. The closing day of the Olympics on Feb. 25 had the most tweets in 2018, Twitter said Wednesday.

Basketball player LeBron James and rapper Kanye West were some of the most popular celebrities on Twitter, but South Korean boy band BTS dominated social media chatter again this year.

The Korean pop group wasn't only the most tweeted about in 2018. It surpassed former President Barack Obama for the most-liked tweet. The group also topped the lists for most tweeted about musicians and celebrities. 

With nearly 1.7 million likes, the most liked tweet in 2018 shows BTS member J-Hope dancing to Drake's "In My Feelings" as part of a challenge that went viral on social media.

#InMyFeelingsChallenge #HopeOnTheStreet pic.twitter.com/Bm8bxtKsFq

— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) July 23, 2018

Obama's tweet came close to topping the list with 1.6 million likes. In the wake of a deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the 44th US president showed his support on Twitter for students rallying to end gun violence.

Young people have helped lead all our great movements. How inspiring to see it again in so many smart, fearless students standing up for their right to be safe; marching and organizing to remake the world as it should be. We've been waiting for you. And we've got your backs.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 22, 2018

While artists such as Drake, Ariana Grande, Cardi B and Beyonce made the list for the most tweeted about celebrities, so did Chinese-South Korean boy group EXO and South Korean singer Jimin Park. 

The most-retweeted tweet of 2018 was from Spanish YouTube personality El Rubius who posted the Spanish words for "Lemonade 2.0." The YouTuber, which has more than 32 million subscribers, asked his followers to share the tweet if they wanted to enter a giveaway for a laptop, smartphone, gaming console and other prizes. He's done a similar giveaway in 2016.

LIMONADA 2.0 🗿

— elrubius (@Rubiu5) September 29, 2018

The third most-tweeted hashtag #bbb18 was about the Brazilian version of the reality TV show Big Brother. 

There were also plenty of highly anticipated blockbuster movies in 2018. Black Panther was the most tweeted about movie, followed by The Avengers: Infinity War and The Incredibles 2. 

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