Even Without Parades, St. Patrick’s Day Was a Hot Topic on Facebook, Instagram in March

St. Patrick’s Day was the hottest Hot Topic on both platforms last month, followed closely by Super Tuesday in the holidays and events category. The pandemic was also a strong topic of discussion on Facebook, but Instagrammers talked up Women’s History Month, instead.

Quarterback Tom Brady, his new team (the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and the canceled 2019-20 Men’s NCAA Division I Basketball Championship tournament dominated sports talk on both Facebook and Instagram.

The coronavirus led the people and culture category on Facebook and Instagram, trailed on both platforms by Tom Hanks, who tested positive for Covid-19 and has since recovered, and late country music star Kenny Rogers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention topped the brands and products category on both platforms, followed by Costco on Facebook and by Feeding America on Instagram.

Facebook users chatted up Dolly Parton, Jimmy Fallon and The Walking Dead in the entertainment category last month, while Tyga and Reese Witherspoon captured the attention of Instagrammers.

Finally, with Facebook users and Instagrammers confined to their homes last month, GrubHub led the food and drink category on both platforms, followed by Waffle House on Facebook and bread on Instagram.

Facebook IQ measured subjects that drove disproportionately high volumes of discussion on both social platforms, marking the latest in a Facebook-Adweek Hot Topics monthly series that began in 2015.

Check out the data-based graphics below to learn more about recent, topical social trends: