Demonetisation Most Significant Moment in India This Year, Says Twitter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move on November 8 was the most significant moment on Twitter in 2016. The social network recorded 650,000 tweets in 24 hours following the announcement and millions more tweets in the following weeks, the company announced on Tuesday.

Virat Kohli's tweet in support of actor Anushka Sharma was the 'Golden Tweet' of 2016.

"He encouraged his fans and critics, who attributed his outstanding performance in the ICC World T20 to their break-up, to focus instead on empathy and community building," Twitter said in a statement.

Women athletes P.V. Sindhu, Sakshi Malik and Dipa Karmakar won a million hearts on Twitter during the Rio Olympics, making #Rio2016 the top hashtag trend of the year.

With seven of the top 10 hashtags this year related to the #Rio2016 Olympics and #WT20 cricket, sports dominated the trending Twitter conversations for the nation.

The government's flagship programme #MakeInIndia was also one of the most popular hashtag trends of the year with its global appeal.

The list of the most followed Indians on Twitter in 2016 saw Modi (@NarendraModi) finally reaching the top position with 25.2 million followers (as on December 5), by adding a whopping 8.8 million followers this year alone.

Right behind Modi are Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan with 23.8 million followers, and Shah Rukh Khan with 22.4 million followers. Priyanka Chopra, who has earned international fame, has 15.7 million followers on Twitter.

"Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan graced his fans on Twitter with his presence by joining the platform on Republic Day. The actor made a memorable first tweet with a video of him singing the national anthem, composed by veteran music director Ilayaraja," Twitter said.

Haasan garnered over 30,000 followers in 24 hours, which was a reflection of the admiration and support he receives from his fans.