If Facebook stats are any indication, we were all quite preoccupied this year with our astrological signs, parenting, and Steve Jobs.
We're nearing the end of the year, a time that brings holiday deals and year-end wrap ups. Microsoft has already revealed that Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian were the top-searched people in 2011 on Bing, and Facebook has now revealed the most-shared stories of the year.
"We recently looked at the most shared articles in the U.S. on Facebook over the past year," the company said in a blog post. "The stories range from cute to thought provoking and represent the type of news people have been sharing and discovering with friends in 2011."
The top-shared story fell into the thought-provoking category; a New York Times article that detailed satellite photos taken before and after the devastating earthquake that rocked Japan this year.
Rounding out the top five, however, were CNN articles on parenting—what teachers want to tell parents and an editorial imploring parents not to "dress your girls like tramps."
But of the top 40 articles listed, three centered on the "new zodiac sign" controversy. Earlier this year, there were reports about Ophiuchus, a rumored 13th zodiac sign. Astrologers shot down the assertion, but it clearly resonated with many Facebook users.
If the large number of cat videos on YouTube are any indication, meanwhile, people love sharing things about animals, particularly the heroic or loyal. This year, users shared stories about a faithful dog who mourned the death of his Navy SEAL owner and a Japanese dog who stayed by a sick friend in the earthquake rubble. There was also that huge crocodile in the Philippines, and the trend of dyeing pets to look like other animals.
On the tech front, the death of Steve Jobs caught many peoples' attention, particularly the eulogy delivered by his sister and published in the New York Times. The CNN story about his death, and a wrap-up of the patents filed under his name also made the list.
Also on the list? The popular "Tiger mom" article from the Wall Street Journal and Warren Buffett's much talked-about Times editorial that asked Americans to "stop coddling the super rich."