Referendum Tops Facebook Topic List

The Scottish independence referendum was the UK's most discussed topic on Facebook in 2014.

The social network service has released its annual year in review data, which shows there were 3.3 million comments, posts and likes about the vote on polling day in September - and 10 million in the five weeks prior to it.

The ice bucket challenge in aid of the fight against motor neurone disease was the UK's second most popular topic.

This was in line with global interests, as the phenomenon saw 17 million videos shared worldwide.

Football is never far from many Britons' thoughts, so it is no surprise that the sport dominated the top 10.

The World Cup was the third most popular topic - possibly due to exasperation over England's woeful efforts - while the Premier League title race that saw Manchester City pip Liverpool was fourth.

The other two most popular soccer stories discussed on Facebook were Louis van Gaal's appointment as Manchester United boss (seventh) and the all-Spanish Champions League final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid (ninth).

The conflict in Gaza was the fifth most popular topic for interactions, while the death of actor Robin Williams in August was sixth.

The outbreak of the Ebola virus ranked number eight for interactions, while the First World War centenary was tenth. Warner Brothers Studio Tour was the most common location for Facebook check-ins, as people shared their experiences from The Making of Harry Potter attraction.

Tourist destinations Madame Tussauds, London Eye and Chester Zoo also featured in the top 10.

The Tower of London was third as millions of people flocked to see the poppy display.

Facebook has made a page at http://uk.yearinreview.fb.com/ to showcase its year in review.