Top 5 Social Media Moments of 2013

Batkid, Image by Eric Wagner

Undoubtedly, 2013 has been one of the most exciting years on social media to date. People all over the world have shared and connected to each other through emotive stories and realtime events. Whether it was the devastation of the Boston Marathon, or the weightlessness of flying to space with Commander Chris Hadfield, social media has changed the way we tell stories.

We wanted to know which social media moments this year had the greatest impact on you, here are your top answers.

1. BatKid

BatKid was one of the most iconic moments of 2013, as one little boy captivated the entire planet in his simple dream to become Batman for a day. As he raced around ‘Gotham City’ San Francisco, social media told the story through thousands of tweets, posts and positive messages.

2. Commander Hadfield

Commander Hadfield’s rendition of ‘Space Oddity’ filmed while working on the International Space Station has gained nearly 20 million views on YouTube. While he credits the amazing technology of Twitter and other networks for his ability to share his experience with so many people, in a special talk given at HootSuite HQ earlier this year, Hadfield said that social media has a long history in space.

Read Commander Hadfield’s story of social media in space.

@hootsuite the viral video of Cdn astronaut Chris Hadfield rockin David Bowie’s 1969 track “Space Oddity” while cmnding intl space station.

— Natalie Clancy (@NatalieClancy) December 11, 2013

3. Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon bombing overwhelmed social media communities globally. Starting with the first tweet going out just seconds after the explosion, the hours following saw the story unfolding in real time on social media. Even weeks and days following the event, people continued to outpour their support, donations and information across social platforms.

@hootsuite the Boston Marathon, easily.

— Zuri Berry (@zuriberry) December 11, 2013

4. Security Hacks

In what felt like a never ending series of social media hacks to some of the world’s largest brands, questions of security and protection on social media rose to the top spot of concern. Most notably, the AP Hack illustrated the real consequences of poor social media security. As countless corporate victims of social media malpractice can attest, without effective security tools in place and the education to back them up, you’re playing Russian Roulette.

5. TweetACoffee

TweetACoffee, powered by Starbucks, launched this year showing us the first signs of e-commerce integrating with social media. Just one tweet allows any individual to instantly gift a friend with a cup of coffee. This exciting launch has gotten everyone excited for what’s to come in 2014.

Hmm, @hootsuite I think the whole @Tweetacoffee development was pretty epic social media of 2013 & foreshadowing the future for sure!

— tara vandygriff (@tvandygriff) December 11, 2013

What are your predictions for social media in 2014? Let us know in the comments below.

via Business 2 Community http://www.business2community.com/social-media/top-5-social-media-moments-2013-0726165?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-5-social-media-moments-2013