January: #JeSuisCharlie
In January, the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie - French for "I am Charlie" - trended worldwide after Islamist gunmen stormed the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people. The hashtag was used to show solidarity with the victims and to support free speech. In an act of defiance, Charlie Hebdo featured the phrase on its first cover after the deadly attack.
February: #TheDress
Black and blue or white and gold? That was the big question of February. It all started with one innocent question posted on Tumblr asking for help deciding the color of #thedress. From there, the Internet exploded with social media users and even news media around the world joining in. But despite all the passionate tweets, we still don`t have a final answer. What color is that dress anway?
March: #Germanwings
In March, Germanwings flight 4U9525 crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board. It later emerged that the plane`s co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately downed the plane. The tragedy was discussed worldwide with the hashtag #GermanWings, sparking an intense debate about screening pilots for mental health issues and introducing new safety measures on planes.
April: #BlackLivesMatter
In April, two unarmed black men, Walter Scott and Freddie Gray, were shot and killed in two separate incidents involving white police officers in the U.S. Their deaths sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racial discrimination. #BlackLivesMatter became the most important hashtag in this debate and morphed into a political force. It was tweeted more than 9 million times in 2015.
May: #HomeToVote
In May, Irish citizens around the world went #hometovote in the world`s first national gay marriage referendum. Using the hashtag #hometovote, they filled Twitter with photos and stories from their journey, stressing the importance of having a say in the same-sex marriage debate. In the end, more than 60 percent voted in favor of legalizing gay marriage.
June: #SelfieWithDaughter
When India`s Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked his country in June to share photos of their daughters on social media, the initiative #SelfieWithDaughter was born. It quickly had a global impact, with proud parents around the world posting pictures and embracing his message of celebrating women and girls.
July: #Greferendum
Greece’s debt crisis was a major topic in 2015. In July, a hotly discussed topic on social media was #Greferendum, Greece’s referendum on whether to accept more money in exchange for more austerity measures. And Greeks delivered a resounding #oxi, meaning "no," signaling Greece was tiring of its creditors` demands and posing the question of a possible #Grexit from the Eurozone.
August: #RefugeesWelcome
2015 has seen the largest number of refugees in history, with nearly 20 million displaced people around the world. In the midst of this refugee crisis, many people across the world used the hashtag #refugeeswelcome to call on European countries to grant refugees access to the EU and welcome them. Many Europeans also used the hashtag to promote grassroots aid initiatives and to lend a helping hand.
September: #IStandWithAhmed
When a 14-year-old student in Texas was pulled out of class and arrested by police after his homemade clock was mistaken for a bomb, it didn’t take long for social media users to pick-up on the story. They headed online to support the student, Ahmed Mohamed, and speak out against racial profiling, discrimination and Islamophobia. The hashtag #IStandWithAhmed trended around the world.
October: #FeesMustFall
In October, students in South Africa took to the streets to protest a proposed 10 percent tuition hike. The #FeesMustFall protests escalated for more than a week, with dramatic images of police responding with tear gas and flash grenades circulating on social media, which helped sway public opinion to the cause. Eventually, South African President Jacob Zuma suspended all tuition increases.
November: #PrayForParis
Almost one year after the attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, Paris was again the center of multiple terror attacks. In mid-November terrorists killed 130 people and injured more than 350. The global community united under the hashtag #PrayForParis to stand strong with the French capital and send messages of solidarity, unity and support.
December: #COP21
The biggest event in December - and maybe of the entire year- was #COP21, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. Politicians from nearly 200 countries met to negotiate a new climate treaty regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Citizens across the world took to the streets and the Internet to put pressure on these world leaders to combat global warming and perhaps save the world.
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