10 Most Significant Events Reported by HK Media in 2021

The following findings are powered by CARMA's Insight Portal, a media intelligence tool that captures data from a range of media sources. This article focuses on online news only.

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It’s almost the end of 2021! So much happened in 2021, it is difficult to know where to begin.

My colleague Ryan and I worked on a project to find out the major events reported by the media in HK. We looked at news stories and search trends from various sources in order to identify the common themes. We then made use of CARMA’s monitoring portal to categorise and analyse the share of voice (SOV) of the top news stories.

The results are pretty interesting! Here's a chart that shows how the volume of media mentions of key events increased overtime:

10 - Squid game (SOV - 0.68%)

Let’s start with the first one on the list. Even if you aren’t one to keep up with the latest entertainment trends, you have probably heard of Squid Game. It seems to have become everyone’s favourite show on Netflix in 2021. You might have also heard of how the popularity of Squid Game-inspired Halloween costumes has led to a spike in demand for white slip-on shoes.

9 - US Presidential Election (SOV - 1.6%)

Many Hongkongers kept an eye on the US presidential election as it has a huge impact on US-China relations, which could very likely impact the future of Hong Kong. The inauguration of Joe Biden in January generated a relatively large volume of media coverage in Hong Kong media.

8 - Mirror (SOV - 3.46%)

2021 marks the 3rd Anniversary of Mirror, one of the most popular boy bands in the local music scene today. Though I’m not a Mirror fan (more commonly known by the locals as “鏡粉”), no one can ignore their persistence in Hong Kong. It is not at all difficult to spot their faces from countless public advertisements and billboards all over the city.

7 - Consumption Voucher (SOV - 3.7%)

The Hong Kong government announced a HK$5,000 consumption voucher scheme that aims to stimulate consumer sentiment and give a boost to businesses amid the covid pandemic. The electronic consumption vouchers were disbursed through Alipay, WeChat Pay, Tap & Go, and Octopus. While many consider the consumption voucher scheme a success, some criticised the government’s bungled rollout of the scheme, which forced elderly citizens to queue up for hours to submit their applications.

6 - Cryptocurrency (SOV - 6.35%)

There are more and more crypto owners in Hong Kong. A Visa study says Hongkongers are among the world’s biggest investors in cryptocurrencies. Many will also remember 2021 as the year that the mass public was first introduced to NFTs, cryptographic assets on a blockchain with unique metadata and identification codes?that distinguish them from each other.

5 - Migration (SOV - 6.36%)

Hong Kong saw over 90,000 citizens leaving the city in a year amid the emigration wave. The UK, Canada, the US, and Taiwan are some of the popular options for Hongkongers leaving the city. There was a large number of media mentions about the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa rolled out by the UK authorities, which allows HKSAR citizens who have BNO status (and their family members) to live in work in Britain and apply for citizenship after five years.

4 - Legco Election (SOV - 7.85%)

The 2021 Hong Kong Legislative Council election was a general election held on 19 December 2021. This is more than just a single event. Apart from the election held in December, media also reported stories related to the unofficial primary election and the arrangement for electors to return from Mainland to Hong Kong to vote.

3 - Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics (SOV - 9.64%)

The long-awaited Olympics got everyone excited about sports, especially when the Tokyo Olympics was Hong Kong’s best-ever Olympics in history. Hong Kong collected a total of six medals, which include one gold, two silver, and three bronze medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games. There was not a single media outlet that did not cover this glorious chapter on its main page. Media continued to report stories related to the medalists (such as Cheung Ka Long and Siobhan Haughey) throughout the rest of 2021.

2 - National Security Law (SOV - 10.71%)

The controversial National Security Law, which came into effect on June 30, 2020, continues to generate a huge amount of media coverage in Hong Kong in 2021. A series of events were linked to the implementation of the National Security Law, such as the dissolution of HKPTU, the arrest of individuals, and the oath-taking requirement for civil servants. The closure of Apply Daily in June also resulted in a spike in media coverage.

1 - Covid-19 (SOV - 49.66%)

As Covid-19 continues to spread, it is to no surprise that covid-19 related news would take up a large share of voice in the media. The pandemic has affected everyone in Hong Kong, with school closures, weddings disrupted, and business shutdowns. Reports on confirmed cases, updates on social distancing measures, and the use of the “Leave Home Safe” app were among the common topics related to Covid-19 in 2021.

Are these events in line with what you were expecting? My team member, Ryan goes through how these events developed over time in 2021 in the post linked here (2021 Review: What The Data Says).

2021 may not be the best year for some of us but we still have a lot to be thankful for. Here's to an amazing 2022 and beyond!