IPL and elections take social media by storm in May 2024: Starcom Culture report

New Delhi: Starcom has unveiled the Trends Report for May 2024. This report offers a deep dive into various realms, from sports and entertainment to the world of reels and beyond, capturing the essence of modern culture. 

The Culture report is powered by BUZ AI.

The report covers trends across 4 major platforms –

1. Google and X (formerly called Twitter)

1. Cricket 

2. Movies, Music and Entertainment

3. General 

2. Spotify

3. Instagram

1.  Reels

2.  Memes

1. Google and X (formerly called Twitter)

The IPL which started at the end of March and the general elections which took place in tandem dominated conversations in the month of May. From by-polls in various constituencies to KKR’s complete dominance over its opponents in the last stages of the IPL, netizens indulged in discourse around these two topics extensively. Apart from these two topics, cricket in general was much discussed in the run up to the ICC T20 World Cup. Various competitive exam results continued to be discussed online. There were a few incidents that also stirred up conversations like the unfortunate accident in Pune involving a high-end car driven by a minor which resulted in the death of two IT professionals, and the widespread appearance of the Northern Lights across North America and parts of Australia/New Zealand. 

In the topic of IPL, the fixtures between KKR and SRH were the most discussed. The IPL final was also among the more discussed topics in the month. The knockout match between RR and SRH was the second most discussed fixture followed by the one between RCB and RR. GT’s surprise win over a dangerous looking CSK was also much discussed, as was the tie between RCB and DC which was  do or die situation for the team from Bengaluru. 

It came as no surprise the elections were the talk of the town as India went to polls throughout the month of May. Apart from candidates tweeting and urging people to vote, there was ample discourse regarding the exit polls and probable result on counting day. Global events like the demise of Iran’s president following a helicopter crash, the ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestine, and Donald Trump’s second run for president of the United States were also discussed. Academic results, current events, and the weather were other important topics discussed online in the month of May.

Apart from cricket, football and tennis grabbed the attention of netizens with the FA Cup and French Open being discussed at length, in addition Formula1 racing and the Champions League final. 

While the fans celebrated their favourite teams’ wins, there were not many occasions to mark in the month of May. The most prominent was Mother’s Day with 1.5 millions mentions followed by Akshay Tritya and Labour Day. 

For major platforms- Google and Twitter, the trends could be divided into 3 major buckets:

IPL

While there were those who simply debated and discussed team and player performances, there were also those who took the humorous route to converse about the matches with memes becoming the mode of communication. From Rinku Singh hugging the IPL trophy like his most priced possession to Kavya Maran’s expressions during the finals, the memes were flying off the counter.

Topic modelling for IPL Finals

Gambhir best IPL

Gautam Gambhir's role as a mentor in IPL 2024 was key to Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) championship win. His leadership and advice helped KKR perform well throughout the season. 

KKR vs SRH

In the IPL 2024 final, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) played against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The match was not high-scoring. SRH batted first but struggled, scoring only 113 runs. KKR then chased this low target.

 Virat Kohli

In IPL 2024, Virat Kohli won the Orange Cap, which is awarded to the highest run-scorer of the tournament.

Shreyas Iyer

In the IPL 2024 final, Shreyas Iyer played a crucial role for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). Known for his dependable batting, Iyer helped guide KKR to a comfortable win in this decisive match. 

Top trigrams for IPL Finals

The most popular word combinations were around KKR, the team’s promoter Shahrukh Khan, and Pat Cummins, the World Cup winning captain of the Australian cricket team who also helmed SRH’s campaign this season. “Kolkata Knight Riders”, “Shah Rukh Khan” and “Aussie Captain Captain” were the top work combinations. Fans also spoke about the celebrations in the KKR after the win especially the moment SRK blew a kiss towards pacer Harshit Rana, a gesture the bowler had made during KKR’s first match this season. Kohli also found mention among the popular word combinations for this stellar season with phrases like “Virat Kohli Wins” being popular among online discussions. 

Top bigrams for IPL Finals 

When it came to popular two word combinations, it was cricketers who made an impact – on and off the field – that led the way. “Virat Kohli” was the most popular word duo followed by “Shreyas Iyer” and Gautam Gambhir.” 

Other mentions include “Knight Riders”, “Mitchell Starc”, “Shah Rukh”, and “Harshit Rana.” “Congratulations KKRiders” was also among the top two word combinations. 

Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer were mentioned the most, showing they had a big impact on the match. People also talked a lot about KKR’s key figures like Gautam Gambhir, the Knight Riders team, and owner Shah Rukh Khan.

Mitchell Starc and Rohit Sharma were frequently mentioned. Fans celebrated KKR's win, as seen in phrases like "congratulations kkriders" and mentions of Harshit Rana. Harshit Rana was mentioned often due to his knock in the final.

Sunrisers Hyderabad and Travis Head were also discussed, likely due to their roles in the final. Other popular names included Kavya Maran, Rinku Singh, and Abhishek Sharma.

The word cloud for IPL reflects a similar pattern as the trigrams and bigrams with words like KKRiders, KKRvSRH, winning, Gambhir, Captain, Virat and trophy emerging strong.   

Movies, Music, and Entertainment: Film festivals, Galas, and more  

Payal Kapadia became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival for her film All We Imagine as Light.The film bagged the award, the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d’Or, which went to American director Sean Baker for Anora at the closing ceremony on Saturday (May 25) night.

Mohanlal has finally joined the recent Instagram trend that has been sweeping the platform. A group of youngsters posted a reel, declaring that they would only indulge in their biscuits if Lalettan commented on the video. Much to everyone's delight, Mohanlal indeed left a comment on the video.

"Furiosa" has been trending widely on social media, capturing the attention of movie enthusiasts and fans of the Mad Max franchise. This prequel, centered on the character Furiosa, originally played by Charlize Theron, has sparked considerable excitement and anticipation.

Key factors contributing to the trend include the casting announcements, with Anya Taylor-Joy stepping into the titular role, and Chris Hemsworth joining the cast. 

HeeraMandi

The graph highlights the most frequently mentioned bigrams related to "HeeraMandi." Sanjay Leela Bhansali's involvement has generated significant buzz and interest. Key actors like Aditi Hydari and Sonakshi Sinha are frequently mentioned, generating discussions around their roles and performances. 

1.3 Others: Elections, celebrations, and IPOs… 

The elections were a hot topic of discussion as the country went to polls from the end of April, through to the end of May. While news channels gave constant updates about the polling in various phases, netizens also discussed their ideologies and predictions. A key factor during the entire election was the voter turnout, which ebbed and flowed from phase to phase. Market movements on the stock exchanges in relation to voter turnout were also discussed at length. 

Heatwaves

One of the biggest topics of discussion in May was the unrelenting heat as multiple parts of the country experienced severe heat waves. Part of North India reported record breaking temperatures in the high 40’s, which led to ample chatter about just how uncomfortable the summer was getting. Also in relation to weather, the phenomena of Aurora Borealis was extensively discussed as a rare occurrence of vivid and bright Northern Lights appeared throughout North America and part of Australia and New Zealand.

The Pune Porsche case 

The Pune Porsche case has been trending due to a series of dramatic developments. A 17-year-old, driving a Porsche, collided with a motorcycle, killing two IT professionals. The case gained attention not only for the tragic accident but also for the subsequent legal and ethical issues. The minor's mother allegedly swapped blood samples to mislead investigators, and the father and grandfather faced charges for attempting to obstruct justice. Initially, the minor was given a light punishment, including writing a 300-word essay, which sparked public outrage and calls for a stricter sentence​.

Key IPOs during the month – Aadhar Housing Finance, Awfis Space Solutions, Indigene and GoDigit were widely discussed as those interested tried to gauge the success of these offerings. 

2.Spotify

After months of dominating the charts, the soundtrack from the Ranbir Kapoor starrer Animal conceded the top spot to Sajni from Laapata Ladies. The second spot was taken by the track Soulmate. Other new entrants to the top ten list include Naina from Crew, and Winning Speech. Satranga, Pehle Bhi Main, and Chaleya continued to be in the list.

Local hits were heard in cities of Punjab (Chandigarh and Ludhiana) and Delhi, though the popular songs in the two markets differed greatly. In cities like Mumbai. Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, top local hits constituted a mix of film, and non-film music. 

3.Instagram: Reels and Memes Trend

Dhruv Rathee, who took the internet by storm at the start of the year, also found himself the subject of multiple memes. Rathee’s content mostly deals with political exposés which, during election time, is fodder for memes. The theme of the memes ranged from his style of presentation, to the topics he talks about and more. Since he is critical of the establishment, many of the memes addressed his angst with the establishment. 

Northern Lights

Recently, the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, became an unexpected trending topic among Indian social media users, sparking a wave of humorous and creative memes. Indians take to social media to lament about missing auroras in the country after recent sightings in Europe, Australia, the US and Canada. Memes followed soon afterwards. 

Pandya Divorce Memes

Recently, rumors and speculation about Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya's personal life, specifically regarding his marriage, have sparked a flurry of memes and jokes on various platforms. 

Panchayat season 3 meme

After the release of Panchayat Season 3, social media is abuzz with reactions, and memes are the go-to medium for fans to express their excitement, humor, and emotions. The humorous and often absurd situations in the series provide ample material for memes. Fans recreate these moments with witty captions. 

As the internet buzzes with constant flow of information, understanding these nuances is the key to unlocking valuable insights. By delving into what captures their attention across social media platforms and search engines, the report captures the audience’s interests.

rajiv.gopinath@publicismedia.com

rudra.sen@publicisgroupe.com

urvi.malvania@publicisgroupe.com