Australians obsessed with planking, cyclones and the census: Facebook

Facebook connects more than 800 million people around the world. With that in mind, the social network has analysed the trends of 2011 to create its annual 'Memology' list.

Global highlights:

• In February, the Super Bowl XLV topped the list as the year's biggest sports event came in February, when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers to win Super Bowl XLV.
• Charlie Sheen captured people's attention in March, when his trademark "winning," "tiger blood" and "goddesses" memes went viral.
• Also in March, the United Nations military operations started in Libya, prompting a surge in status updates mentioning "Libya" and "Gaddafi."
• The marriage of Kate Middleton and Prince William dominated updates in April. The term "Royal Wedding" increased nearly 600-fold in the days running up to their wedding day.
• The death of Osama bin Laden in April became the most talked about event on Facebook for 2011. On May 1, almost 10 per cent of all status updates in English mentioned news of his death.
• In the US, the trial of Casey Anthony, a Florida woman who was accused of murdering her daughter Caylee Anthony, captured everybody's attention; status updates mentioning Caylee Anthony peaked on July 5, the day her mother was acquitted.
• In August, Hurricane Irene struck the east coast of the United States, and people looked to Facebook updates for the latest emergency warnings and news of family and friends.
• The deaths of Amy Winehouse in July and Steve Jobs in October also prompted much discussion.
• The launch Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was big in November. The game's launch was the biggest entertainment launch of all time on Facebook.