As reported on The Verge.
By Josh Lowensohn
2013 is almost over, which means it’s time for self-reflection — and Jean-Claude Van Damme, of course. His “epic splits” video (pictured above, and part of an advertisement for Volvo) is just one of many YouTube’s compiled as the top trending videos on the service during the year. That’s different from the most-viewed list, and perhaps even more interesting because it tracks views, shares, and searches from users, which has led to some seemingly unlikely videos making the list. In case you’re curious, “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” by Ylvis pulled in top honors among the trending videos, followed by the “army edition” of the “Harlem Shake.” Google’s also rounded up the overall top music videos of the year, which was led by Psy’s “Gentleman M/V.”
SELF-REFLECTION, AND THE SPLITS
Google’s likely to provide a deeper dive on YouTube and other trends as part of its annual Zeitgeist, which is typically released around this time each year. In the meantime, you can get the whole list of trending videos and top music videos here. Google’s also put together a video with some of its popular YouTube personalities as part of its look back, which you can watch below.