Once again, we analyzed millions of data points from real-time conversations across leading social platforms and thousands of websites to discover what was trending this week. March Madness continued to capture online attention while several unexpected tragedies also drove the digital conversation throughout the week.
NCAA Tournament (peaked on 3/21)
March Madness Monday! The first round of the NCAA tournament kept sports fans talking online as the number of upsets matched the all time record of 13. The buzzer-beating win by Wisconsin led to a huge surge in online conversation, predominantly by males.
Brussels Terror Attacks (peaked on 3/22)
Tuesday’s online conversation was centered around the horrific terror attacks in Brussels. There was an almost even split between males and females active in this chatter while 45 to 54 year olds were the most engaged age group.
Andy Grove Dies (peaked on 3/22)
The passing of legendary former Intel CEO, Andy Grove, garnered a significant share of online conversation on Tuesday. The audience for this trending topic skewed heavily male, while this trend was most popular with the 45+ age group.
Phife Dawg Passed Away (peaked on 3/23)
Conversations surrounding the death of Phife Dawg, an influential hip-hop musician and member of the rap group, A Tribe Called Quest, swept the Internet on Wednesday. Males 25 to 34 years old were most engaged with this trend.
New York Auto Show (peaked on 3/24)
Mercedes-Benz unveiled a series of new car models at the New York Auto Show this week, which was a key driver of online conversations around the event. The audience most engaged with the Mercedes news skewed slightly female and sentiment around this trending topic was positive overall.
Alex Rodriguez Announces Retirement (peaked on 3/24)
New York Yankee, Alex Rodriguez, announced his retirement plans on Thursday, capturing the attention of the Internet. This trending topic was most popular among men in the 55 to 64 age group. Sentiment for this trending topic was mixed overall.
