If Drake and Selena Gomez were to snap a selfie at Niagara Falls, apply a blue-hued Clarendon filter and pepper the post with the hashtags #swag, #goals and #love, they would have reached peak Instagram circa 2016.
New data released from Instagram on Thursday reveals some of the biggest trends on the social media platform in Canada and beyond. The information sheds light on which celebrities had the biggest followings, which emojis topped the charts and what new slang terms cracked into the mainstream lexicon.
Canada’s most-liked posts
It comes as little surprise that Toronto rapper Drake – who boasts Canada’s most-followed Instagram account, @champagnepapi -- had two of the three most-liked Canadian celebrity posts of 2016.
The top post (with 1.5 million likes) is a selfie of Aubrey Graham planting a kiss on the cheek of his and on-again, off-again flame Rihanna at base of the CN Tower.
The second-most popular post goes to 18-year-old crooner Shawn Mendes, who snapped a photo on a yacht outside the iconic Sydney Opera House. It earned 1.3 million likes.
Drake rounded out the list with a dreamy shot of him standing in a driveway in polka-dot pajamas. (Like count: 1.2 million.)
Most-followed Canadians of 2016
- Drake (@champagnepapi)- 30.4 million followers
- Shawn Mendes (@shawnmendes) - 16.1 million followers
- The Weeknd (@theweeknd) - 7.6 million followers
- Avril Lavigne (@avrillavigne) - 4.2 million followers
- Farah Dhukai (@farahdhukai) - 4.1 million followers
- Kristen Hancher (@kristenhancher) - 2.2 million followers
- Lyzabeth Lopez (@lyzabethlopez) - 2.1 million followers
- deadmau5 (@deadmau5) - 2 million followers
- Jeremy Bieber (@jeremybieber) - 1.9 million followers
- Yolanda Gampp (@yolanda_gampp) - 1.9 million followers
Most-followed celebrities of 2016 (worldwide)
- Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) - 103 million followers
- Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) - 93.9 million followers
- Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) - 90.2 million followers
- Beyonce (@beyonce) - 89.2 million followers
- Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian) - 88.2 million followers
- Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) - 82.8 million followers
- Kylie Jenner (@kyliejenner) - 80 million followers
- Dwayne Johnson (@therock) - 71.5 million followers
- Nicki Minaj (@nickiminaj) - 69.4 million followers
- Kendall Jenner (@kendalljenner) - 69.2 million followers
Most Instagrammed Canadian locations of 2016
It appears the majority of Canada’s Instagram photos are snapped in Ontario, with six of the top ten geotagged locales in Toronto. But the top spot goes to Niagara Falls – one of Canada’s most visited destinations.
- Niagara Falls
- Rogers Centre Toronto Blue Jays Game
- Air Canada Centre
- Toronto Pearson International Airport
- Canada's Wonderland
- Vieux Port de Montreal
- CN Tower / La Tour CN
- Vancouver International Airport
- Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
- Whistler Blackcomb
Top Canadian hashtags:
- #toronto
- #love
- #canada
- #vancouver
- #instagood
- #summer
- #beautiful
- #travel
- #nature
- #art
Top global hashtag of 2016:
#love
Most-used Instagram filters:
- Clarendon
- Gingham
- Juno
- Lark
- Moon
Most Instagrammed days of 2016:
- Halloween
- The 15th Anniversary of 9/11
- Euro Cup Final (July 10)
- United States Election (November 6)
- Olympics (Celebratory posts about Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Usain Bolts' big wins) (August 14)
- Father’s Day (June 19)
- Paris Fashion Week (October 1)
- Mother’s Day (May 8)
- New Year’s Day
- Easter Sunday (March 27)
Most Instagrammed locations of 2016:
- Disney Properties
- Universal Studios Properties
- Central Park
- Times Square, New York City
- Eiffel Tower
- Louvre Museum
- Las Vegas Strip
- Santa Monica Pier
- Brooklyn Bridge
- ВДНХ / Vystavka Dostizheniy Narodnogo Khozyaystva
Top food-related hashtags:
- #instafood
- #foodporn
- #healthy
- #foodie
- #yummy
- #coffee
- #delicious
- #dinner
- #breakfast
- #sweet
Top millennial hashtags:
- #swag
- #goals
- #meme
- #dope
- #aesthetic
- #beastmode
- #bookstagram
- #fire
- #squad
- #bae
