Wikipedia just spilled the beans on its hottest reads of 2023, and it’s a mixed bag of interests that has kept people hooked. The English edition of the web encyclopedia clocked in over eighty-four billion visits. This year’s top twenty-five most-viewed articles cover a range of subjects, from tech and sports to movies, current events, and famous faces.
ChatGPT
OpenAI’s virtual chatbot, ChatGPT, stole the spotlight by clinching the number one position with over forty-nine million views. This year, it marked its first anniversary and experienced a significant surge in popularity.
Notable deaths
Securing the second spot was the yearly roundup of notable deaths, a page that consistently attracted a lot of attention.
Pages dedicated to individual entries of prominent figures who passed away, such as Matthew Perry and Lisa Marie Presley, also drew substantial interest this year.
Celebrity Spotlight
Famous faces like pop sensation Taylor Swift claimed the twelfth spot with a whopping nineteen million views. Notably named Time’s Person of the Year, she’s been quite the talk of the town.
Tech tycoon and billionaire Elon Musk secured the nineteenth position, boasting over fourteen million views. Meanwhile, controversial influencer Andrew Tate grabbed the twenty-fifth spot with more than twelve million views.
Cricket takes center stage
The much-awaited 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, during which the hosts faced defeat against Australia in the final, clinched the third spot.
In a historic turn, cricket content has made its debut on the list since the Wikimedia Foundation began tracking page views in 2015. Three other cricket-related entries joined the ranks, with the Indian Premier League claiming the fourth place with over twenty million views. Cricket enthusiasts certainly made their mark on the most-read pages.
Cinematic searches
The themes in the top twenty-five also showcased a strong interest in cinematic pursuits, including searches for summer blockbusters like Oppenheimer, Barbie, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
J. Robert Oppenheimer in the limelight
The page dedicated to physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer himself garnered considerable attention, amassing over twenty-five million views. Clearly, the allure of the silver screen played a prominent role in the most-read pages.
Indian Bollywood movies
India’s Bollywood action flicks, Jawan and Pathaan, secured spots among the most-viewed pages.
Most-viewed Wikipedia topics of 2023.. [By Global Views For English Articles]..
Only 3 Films featured in this list.
Among these 3, two of @iamsrk’s starrer #Jawan & #Pathaan Global Phenomenon. #ShahRukhKhan pic.twitter.com/DKykajQ5X6
— Bollywood Box Office (@Bolly_BoxOffice) December 7, 2023
Football sensations
The list also featured sports icons, including football sensations Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, adding to the diverse array of interests that captivated readers.
The eclectic mix of topics that dominated Wikipedia’s most-viewed articles for 2023 reflects the diverse interests of readers worldwide. From ChatGPT’s virtual prowess to sports and cinema, the list encapsulates a snapshot of what caught our collective curiosity.
The presence of cricket, Bollywood, and global football icons further underscores the universal appeal of these subjects.
As we bid farewell to another year, these insights into our shared online explorations serve as a fascinating testament to the varied and ever-evolving landscape of information consumption in our interconnected world.