The 30 Most "Liked" BuzzFeed Posts Of 2011

    Nostalgia, disaster photos, and lots of gay. Here are our biggest Facebook hits of the year along with my explanations of why they did so well.

    Matt Stopera
    by Matt Stopera

    BuzzFeed Staff

    • 30. 13 Punctuation Marks That You Never Knew Existed

      30. 13 Punctuation Marks That You Never Knew Existed

      34,766 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: Because (almost) everyone uses punctuation.

    • 29. 25 Ways To Tell You’re A Kid Of The ‘90s

      29. 25 Ways To Tell You’re A Kid Of The ‘90s

      39,241 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: Nostalgia! People love it. Also, kids who grew up in the '90s make up a large percentage of the Facebook audience.

    • 28. 50 Beautiful Pictures Of The Supermoon From Around The World

      28. 50 Beautiful Pictures Of The Supermoon From Around The World

      39,241 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: The supermoon had universal appeal. It happened worldwide, so the audience was huge. The pictures were also "awe" inspiring. Things that make you go "awe" are generally liked.

    • 27. 50 Best Animal Photos Of 2011

      27. 50 Best Animal Photos Of 2011

      39,984 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This post is basically a collection of the best animal photojournalism of the year. A bunch of the photos also have emotional appeal because they're about animals being saved or rescued. People like animal pictures, but they really like animals that defied the odds. The pictures in this post were also large and high quality. People like that.

    • 26. 50 Reasons Why The World Is Definitely Ending On May 21

      26. 50 Reasons Why The World Is Definitely Ending On May 21

      40,257 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This post came out the day before "The Rapture" in May. It's basically a compilation of universally disliked popculture things. People like hating Nickelback and Snooki, and this post was a place for everyone to hate together.

    • 25. 20 Couples That Put Kim Kardashian’s Marriage To Shame

      25. 20 Couples That Put Kim Kardashian’s Marriage To Shame

      41,033 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: EVERYONE was angry about Kim Kardashian's divorce and one of the biggest responses came from the gay community and its supporters. By liking this post it showed that that person didn't approve of Kim Kardashian, but they did approve of gay marriage. Liking posts on Facebook can be political because they show what side you align with.

    • 24. 25 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Names

      24. 25 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Names

      43,477 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This post is just straight forward interesting facts and everyone likes learning things they never knew before. People also like sharing interesting facts/things they just learned with their friends.

    • 23. 25 Dumbest Comments On Lowe's Facebook Page About “All-American Muslim”

      23. 25 Dumbest Comments On Lowe's Facebook Page About “All-American Muslim”

      43,657 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: By liking this post you're basically saying that you disagree with these statements. Muslims were a hot button issue this year and controversy does well on Facebook.

    • 22. The 100 Best Protest Signs At The Wisconsin Capitol

      22. The 100 Best Protest Signs At The Wisconsin Capitol

      43,816 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: People love "David vs. Goliath" stories. The Wisconsin protests were all about the "working man and woman" sticking it back to the man. \
      Wisconsinites are also really creative. They definitely made the best protest signs of the year.

    • 21. Pregnant Woman Reportedly Miscarries After Being Sprayed With Pepper Spray

      21. Pregnant Woman Reportedly Miscarries After Being Sprayed With Pepper Spray

      44,398 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: The outrage! How could you not be angry about this. Stories that leave you shocked or angry are often shared. (Side note: this story was proven to be false later on. This only adds to the controversy and like-ability.)

    • 20. Charlie Sheen Quotes As New Yorker Cartoons

      20. Charlie Sheen Quotes As New Yorker Cartoons

      51,121 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This post was made at the peak of the Charlie Sheen craze. It was a funny and clever play on all the quotes everyone was hearing and saying.

    • 19. The Most Hipster State In The US

      19. The Most Hipster State In The US

      53,169 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: One word: HIPSTER. Everything with the word hipster does well on the internet. Even my 13-year-old cousin from Upstate New York knows what a hipster is. Also, maps of the US do extremely well online. Everyone likes to see where THEIR state ranks.

    • 18. 25 Frightening Photos Of Hurricane Irene’s Destruction

      18. 25 Frightening Photos Of Hurricane Irene’s Destruction

      59,882 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: After Hurricane Irene, people were making jokes about the hurricane being all hype. This post proved that wrong. The pictures are are pretty terrifying. People like disaster porn.

    • 17. Scared Bros At A Haunted House

      17. Scared Bros At A Haunted House

      61,172 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: Every holiday there's always a huge influx of holiday-themed posts. This was the perfect holiday post. Everyone gets scared in a haunted house, even bros. People like when stereotypes (in this case, the stereotype is that guys are tough) are proven wrong.

    • 16. British Royal Marine Killed In Afghanistan Sends His Friends On Vegas Bender

      16. British Royal Marine Killed In Afghanistan Sends His Friends On Vegas Bender

      75,556 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: Troops! Everyone loves them. This is also a good story. Very like-able.

    • 15. Man Tattoos Leviticus 18:22 That Forbids Homosexuality On His Arm, But Leviticus 19:28 Forbids Tattoos

      15. Man Tattoos Leviticus 18:22 That Forbids Homosexuality On His Arm, But Leviticus 19:28 Forbids Tattoos

      81,722 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: Since the beginning of internet history, people have loved hating bad tattoos. This is the ultimate bad tattoo. By liking this post, the person agrees that they like this guys horrible mistake. It makes a statement.

    • 14. Republican New York Senator Comes Out For Gay Marriage With Awesome Quote

      14. Republican New York Senator Comes Out For Gay Marriage With Awesome Quote

      89,372 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: By liking this post you're agreeing with the quote. When you agree with the quote you're saying you support gay marriage. It's another example of Facebook activism.

    • 13. 20 Alcoholic Beverages Inspired By The Harry Potter Series

      13. 20 Alcoholic Beverages Inspired By The Harry Potter Series

      107,369 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This post was made right around the time of when the new Harry Potter movie came out. This is the perfect post to put on your Facebook and say "who's in?!"

    • 12. Basset Hounds Running

      12. Basset Hounds Running

      117,831 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: Just look at them.

    • 11. 20 Stunning Photos Of The Damage Caused By The East Coast Earthquake

      11. 20 Stunning Photos Of The Damage Caused By The East Coast Earthquake

      122,642 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: The initial reaction to the East Coast earthquake was shock and awe. After that, most people were like "what's the big deal, we're all overreacting." This post played on that emotion.

    • 10. 63 Reasons Why Bradley Cooper Definitely Isn't The Sexiest Man Alive

      10. 63 Reasons Why Bradley Cooper Definitely Isn't The Sexiest Man Alive

      126,791 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This post tapped into people's anger. Bradley Cooper shouldn't have won People's sexiest man alive. People who liked this post agreed (and that was a lot of people!)

    • 9. 50 Unexplainable Black & White Photos

      9. 50 Unexplainable Black & White Photos

      157,763 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: Everyone loves black & white photos. Everyone loves weird, WTF photos. The two together was a winning combination.

    • 8. 32 Pictures You Need To See Before The World Ends

      8. 32 Pictures You Need To See Before The World Ends

      158,463 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This was another Rapture post (see #26). The pictures were mostly of animals doing funny things. Who doesn't like animals doing funny things?

    • 7. 60 Awesome Portraits Of Gay Couples Just Married In New York State

      7. 60 Awesome Portraits Of Gay Couples Just Married In New York State

      162,175 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This is another example of people liking something on Facebook to make a political statement. If you liked this post, it showed you agreed with gay marriage. The pictures were also incredibly happy. People like happy pictures... duh.

    • 6. 25 Foods You’ll Never Be Able To Eat Again

      6. 25 Foods You’ll Never Be Able To Eat Again

      205,634 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: Everyone loves food. Combine that with nostalgia and you've got a big hit.

    • 5. How A U.S. Marine Deals With A Cheating Girlfriend

      5. How A U.S. Marine Deals With A Cheating Girlfriend

      218,030 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: Troops + a "win" = Facebook gold.

    • 4. 40 Things That Will Make You Feel Old

      4. 40 Things That Will Make You Feel Old

      378,401 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This post was aimed at one of the biggest populations on Facebook: the kids of the '90s (see #30). It's also nostalgic and appeals to your emotions. It really makes you feel old and for some reason people like feeling old.

    • 3. How To Explain Gay Rights To An Idiot

      3. How To Explain Gay Rights To An Idiot

      462,422 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: This is obvoiusly another gay-oriented post. If you liked it, you were basically saying you thought people who don't believe in gay rights are idiots. It's Facebook activism!

    • 2. 12 Extremely Disappointing Facts About Popular Music

      2. 12 Extremely Disappointing Facts About Popular Music

      636,924 likes Why this was liked so much: The facts were shocking. This post was also pretty controversial. It brought out a lot of emotions, and people love sharing their feelings on Facebook.

    • 1. The 45 Most Powerful Images Of 2011

      1. The 45 Most Powerful Images Of 2011

      850,256 likes Why this did so well on Facebook: The pictures were carefully picked, big, and provoked a lot of emotions. Most of them leave you in awe. It also helps that is wasn't a slideshow. What a year.