2011: What were Facebook users talking about?

Social media network Facebook has just released its list of top 'status trends' for 2011.The report compiles people's Facebook status updates, to come up with the top trends that are being discussed over the course of the year.

Globally, the number one item discussed on Facebook was the death of Osama bin Laden, followed by the Green Bay Packers winning the Superbowl (American Football grand final).

In Australia, the number one trend was discussing 'planking' (a social media-fuelled act of lying down on something and taking a picture of it), followed by Cyclone Yasi and the 2011 Census.

Jonathan Chang, data scientist at Facebook, explained that the Memology 2011 study also looked at what 'memes' (internet jokes, often featuring a picture with a humorous caption) were popular in different parts of the world.

"Memology takes the pulse of this global community by comparing this year's status updates to last year's, unearthing the most popular topics and cultural trends - or memes - emerging on Facebook," he wrote in a blog post.

Top 5 Movies

1. Harry Potter

2. The Twilight Saga

3.Toy Story

4.Avatar

5. Jackass

Top 5 fictional characters

1. Dr. House

2. Dory

3. Patrick Star

4. Mr Bean

5. Upin&Ipin

Top 5 musicians

1. Rihanna

2. Bob Marley

3. AvrilLavigne

4. David Guetta

5. Enrique Iglesias

Top 5 athletes

1. Leo Messi

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

3. John Cena

4. Ricardo Kaka

5. David Beckham