KOCHI:
There is joy in our immediate surroundings and everyday conversations – the familiar and the mundane. If 2020 is teaching us anything, it is this. As we continue to practise social distancing, Twitter is throwing it back to 2019, right before the world around us started to change. Twitter wants Indians to lookback, relive and rejoice those little sources of joy that they found in their everyday lives last year through Conversation Replay, which focuses on top joyful conversations on the service around the same time last year.
Indians have always taken to Twitter to share anecdotes and experiences of their day-to-day lives. They write casual commentaries on food and celebrate nice weather, proving that joy is in the little pleasures. To get more insights into what brought people joy before 2020, Twitter India commissioned Quilt.AI* to analyse the conversations on the service. The team studied 850,000 Tweets across 22 cities in India from same time last year, i.e. September-November 2019, over a 100-day framework.
The study found that the ten most talked about themes included: Animals, Celebration, Celebrity content, Doing good deeds, Family, Food, Humour, Nostalgia, Romance and Sports (listed in alphabetical order).
Manish Maheshwari, Managing Director, Twitter India says, “Twitter is a modern public square where diverse voices discuss and share their views on topics and conversations that interest them. Last year, people were celebrating and revelling in many joys of life, and with Conversation Replay, our intent is to throw back to those vibrant conversations, across varied themes of joy from diverse parts of India, to encourage people to celebrate life. Sharing these conversations is our way of giving Indians a moment of happiness and reminding them that joy can still be found in little pleasures.
Food: Ernakulam has a huge appetite for food conversations
Food brings India together. Second to the joy of cooking and savouring food is the joy of photographing it. Be it extending the memory of that delight past polishing off the plate of food, or posting pictures of drool-worthy dishes and desserts, Ernakulam beat all cities when it came to Tweeting about food.
Photography: Pose, click, Tweet, caption – what is there to not find joy in it!
People on Twitter also use the service as a place to explore their artistic side and as an archive for their photography shots. Ernakulam topped the list.
Sports: Because we find joy in every run and goal and smash and score
Twitter enables sports enthusiasts to talk about all things sports with like-minded people, and derive joy from these ‘watch parties’ of sorts, wherein everyone comes together to chat about games as and when they are happening. Be it a conversation about the team that they support, or ongoing matches, or sharing fan art wishing their favourite sportsperson a happy birthday, Ernakulam topped the charts for celebrating sports on Twitter.
Animals: Every once in a while a furry friend enters your life and fills it with joy
As pets, and sometimes as unannounced visitors, animals bring unmatched companionship and delight. People often document through Tweets fun interactions and chance encounters with these magnificent beings. In fact, it is not uncommon for people to call out #PetTwitter or #AnimalTwitter for a dose of cuteness to uplift their mood. The study found that Ernakulam was one of the top three Indian cities to Tweet and share their love for animals.
Adventure & Travel: The journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step and leads to joyful conversations
Having an adventurous heart means keeping an open mind for new experiences, and Ernakulam knows this. It is one of the top three cities that Tweeted the most about adventure and travel in 2019, seeking thrill and joy in these conversations.
Conversation Replay: favourite themes of joy across India
Southern cities like Ernakulam, Hyderabad and Chennai led conversations across themes of sports, food, celebration, celebrity content, and humour. While Ludhiana topped the charts for conversations on romance, Raipur led conversations around animals. Bhubaneswar had the most conversations around family and doing good deeds, whereas Mumbai led conversations on nostalgia.
