Which types of articles get shared online?
Social data company News Whip pulled the 30 most viral Facebook and Twitter stories of the year for Business Insider. The top four slots belong to Buzzfeed, and they're all quizzes. Almost everything that isn't a quiz uses a headline that leaves the reader hanging, forcing them to click for an answer.
They're exactly the kinds of stories media pundits claim are "click-bait." Nonetheless, they spread like crazy.
Here's the most viral stories of 2014 as well as their number of shares and interactions they received on Facebook and Twitter.
| Rank | Date Pub'd | Publisher | Headline | FB Likes | FB Shares | FB Comments | Facebook Total | FB + Twitter | Author | |
| 1 | 2/13/14 17:12 | buzzfeed.com | What State Do You Actually Belong In? | 1,207,692 | 872,543 | 1,687,804 | 3,768,039 | 15,055 | 3,783,094 | Tanner Ringerud |
| 2 | 1/30/14 22:56 | buzzfeed.com | What Career Should You Actually Have? | 1,149,226 | 817,531 | 1,018,004 | 2,984,761 | 14,146 | 2,998,907 | Ashley Perez |
| 3 | 2/12/14 21:51 | buzzfeed.com | Which Classic Rock Band Are You? | 914,619 | 894,633 | 889,271 | 2,698,523 | 4,367 | 2,702,890 | Justin Carissimo |
| 4 | 1/16/14 17:09 | buzzfeed.com | What City Should You Actually Live In? | 744,235 | 581,705 | 1,298,714 | 2,624,654 | 26,412 | 2,651,066 | Ashley Perez |
| 5 | 4/10/14 18:38 | petflow.com | She Walked Out On Stage And Blew EVERYONE Away. I Never Expected This, Astonishing! | 1,252,782 | 892,118 | 344,544 | 2,489,444 | 5,131 | 2,494,575 | |
| 6 | 3/11/14 14:00 | kfor.com | Toddler argues with mother over cupcakes; 'Listen, listen, listen, Linda!' | 1,216,704 | 547,294 | 558,060 | 2,322,058 | 5,176 | 2,327,234 | KFOR-TV |
| 7 | 1/5/14 21:58 | viralnova.com | This Is Possibly The Most Dangerous Trail In The World. But The Shocking Part Is Where It Leads. | 845,672 | 338,260 | 880,119 | 2,064,051 | 7,751 | 2,071,802 | |
| 8 | 3/7/14 19:45 | buzzfeed.com | Which Mythical Creature Are You? | 610,941 | 752,405 | 646,199 | 2,009,545 | 4,244 | 2,013,789 | Keely Flaherty |
| 9 | 4/2/14 21:45 | theblaze.com | Report: Shooting at Fort Hood | 1,081,960 | 406,011 | 397,247 | 1,885,218 | 1,218 | 1,886,436 | Oliver Darcy |
| 10 | 4/3/14 19:48 | youngcons.com | Megyn Kelly refuses to back down to political correctness for talking about how Muslims abuse women | Young Conservatives | 1,081,960 | 406,011 | 397,247 | 1,885,218 | 165 | 1,885,383 | Joshua Riddle |
| 11 | 3/5/14 14:36 | buzzfeed.com | Which U.S. President Are You? | 542,113 | 561,203 | 771,632 | 1,874,948 | 3,284 | 1,878,232 | Lara Parker |
| 12 | 1/29/14 22:15 | buzzfeed.com | What Kind Of Dog Are You? | 581,692 | 564,747 | 718,192 | 1,864,631 | 3,381 | 1,868,012 | Chelsea Marshall |
| 13 | 1/28/14 23:33 | viralnova.com | A Man Takes A Single Rake to The Beach. And When You Zoom Out And See It... Well, Just Look. | 1,211,073 | 396,350 | 197,402 | 1,804,825 | 8,000 | 1,812,825 | |
| 14 | 4/7/14 15:01 | distractify.com | The 60 Most Powerful Photos Ever Taken That Perfectly Capture The Human Experience | 1,118,297 | 471,578 | 149,729 | 1,739,604 | 13,447 | 1,753,051 | |
| 15 | 2/23/14 13:00 | buzzfeed.com | Which European Country Do You Actually Belong In? | 518,937 | 494,649 | 681,510 | 1,695,096 | 4,571 | 1,699,667 | |
| 16 | 3/19/14 0:48 | buzzfeed.com | What Actress Would Play You In The Movie Version Of Your Life? | 578,682 | 511,628 | 558,334 | 1,648,644 | 4,907 | 1,653,551 | Sam Stryker |
| 17 | 1/8/14 23:47 | slightlyviral.com | Beware Of The 5 lb. Bag Of Sugarless Gummy Bears On Amazon.com - The Reviews Are Priceless! | 699,091 | 349,404 | 566,735 | 1,615,230 | 5,379 | 1,620,609 | Ryan Jennings |
| 18 | 1/1/14 0:40 | viralnova.com | 2014 Is Going To Be My Year Now That I Know These 89 Genius Solutions To Simple Problems. | 719,777 | 664,150 | 163,529 | 1,547,456 | 5,528 | 1,552,984 | |
| 19 | 1/22/14 16:39 | buzzfeed.com | Which Decade Do You Actually Belong In? | 478,528 | 477,413 | 472,861 | 1,428,802 | 3,102 | 1,431,904 | Tanya Chen |
| 20 | 2/20/14 22:28 | buzzfeed.com | What Should Your College Major Actually Be? | 466,999 | 474,619 | 479,705 | 1,421,323 | 3,065 | 1,424,388 | Matt Bellassai |
| 21 | 2/4/14 4:12 | scarymommy.com | How Many Kids Should You Have? | 427,119 | 285,212 | 700,832 | 1,413,163 | 271 | 1,413,434 | Jill Smokler |
| 22 | 3/3/14 6:12 | upworthy.com | Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong'o's Speech On Beauty That Left An Entire Audience Speechless | 975,146 | 275,427 | 122,191 | 1,372,764 | 1,627 | 1,374,391 | Joseph Lamour |
| 23 | 3/9/14 23:45 | viralnova.com | A Passer-by Thought This Was A Pile Of Trash. I've Never Seen A More Shocking Transformation. | 640,955 | 345,123 | 308,365 | 1,294,443 | 6,348 | 1,300,791 | |
| 24 | 2/26/14 21:59 | buzzfeed.com | Which Biblical Heroine Are You? | 378,248 | 424,441 | 413,832 | 1,216,521 | 1,955 | 1,218,476 | Ellie Hall |
| 25 | 1/10/14 8:25 | distractify.com | The 30 Funniest Notes From Kids Hopelessly Trying To Express Their Feelings | 666,307 | 306,026 | 204,971 | 1,177,304 | 4,177 | 1,181,481 | undefined |
| 26 | 1/10/14 10:39 | huffingtonpost.com | WATCH: Beagle Steals Chicken Nuggets In Epic Style | 649,221 | 274,507 | 247,945 | 1,171,673 | 3,056 | 1,174,729 | The Huffington Post UK |
| 27 | 3/3/14 19:23 | buzzfeed.com | What Period In History Do You Really Belong In? | 317,482 | 440,093 | 399,588 | 1,157,163 | 3,306 | 1,160,469 | Sam Stryker |
| 28 | 3/26/14 21:52 | distractify.com | 33 Unbelievable Places To Visit Before You Die. I Can't Believe These Actually Exist On Earth... | 663,945 | 278,883 | 183,579 | 1,126,407 | 5,285 | 1,131,692 | |
| 29 | 5/8/14 23:19 | lifebuzz.com | Looking At Tears Under A Microscope Reveals A Shocking Fact. | 694,483 | 304,276 | 124,724 | 1,123,483 | 6,038 | 1,129,521 | |
| 30 | 3/5/14 3:40 | elitedaily.com | This Insane New App Will Allow You To Read Novels In Under 90 Minutes | 526,911 | 271,377 | 310,671 | 1,108,959 | 28,720 | 1,137,679 | Christian La Du |