# Landmark Internet Moments The Social Media 2012 Overview Infographic Marks Memorable Milestones By Elise Ying-Hei Ho | Published 2013-01-02 | Pop Culture Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/social-media-2012-overview References: [designtaxi](http://designtaxi.com/news/354960/Twitter-Fail-Whale-Artist-Summarizes-2012-In-An-Infographic/) & [yiyinglu](http://www.yiyinglu.com/) The year of 2012 has been an exciting one for social media with records being broken left, right and center, all of which have been illustrated in the social media 2012 overview infographic by Fail Whale creator, Yiying Lu. [Facebook](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/social-media-backup-platform), Twitter, [YouTube](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/optimism-your-feed) and [Instagram](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagraph) are only some of the ways people and campaigns can go viral fast but these social media platforms have also been generating a lot of buzz in 2012. With Facebook acquiring Instagram for one billion dollars as well as obtaining over a billion users; KONY 2012 gaining 100 million views in less than a week, becoming the most viral campaign in history; and Korean pop star Psy's Gangnam Style gaining over one billion views -- these are only a few of the many monumental online moments this past year. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.4/10 - Popularity: 84% | Activity: 71% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Pop Culture](https://www.trendhunter.com/popculture) > [Internet](https://www.trendhunter.com/internet) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Viral Marketing:** Businesses can leverage social media platforms to create viral marketing campaigns and reach a large audience. - **Acquisitions:** Companies can explore acquiring popular social media platforms to expand their reach and capitalize on their user base. - **Online Campaigns:** Campaigns can harness the power of social media to create large-scale online movements and gain widespread attention. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Advertising:** The advertising industry can embrace viral marketing to create impactful and shareable campaigns that resonate with consumers. - **Technology:** The technology industry should consider acquiring popular social media platforms to enhance their product portfolios and stay competitive. - **Entertainment:** The entertainment industry can leverage online campaigns to promote movies, music, and TV shows and engage with a global audience. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Visualized Social Media Data](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/instagraph.md) - [Uplifting Social Media Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/optimism-your-feed.md) - [Social Media Backup Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/social-media-backup-platform.md) - [Creative Online Social Networks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bf-island.md) - [Social Media Notes Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tiktok-notes.md) - [Social Content Creators](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smilesflow.md) - [Positive Social Media Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tumblr-campaign.md) - [Integrated Influencer Marketing Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/influencer-marketing-platforms.md) - [Social Media Round-Up Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/igplayback.md)