On Wednesday, the social network released a list of the topics that got Australian users talking in 2014 and it could almost double as a catalogue of some of the year's big stories from any mainstream news source across the country.

Actor Robin Williams, who died unexpectedly in 2014, was the most mentioned topic on Facebook in Australia.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott came in second and Malaysia Airlines was third.

The rest of the top 10 most talked about topics was made up of trendy subjects such as Game of Thrones and the Ice Bucket Challenge, and world events, Ebola Virus Outbreak and Conflict in Gaza.

The terms rounding out the list of were references to sport: the South Sydney Rabbitohs, World Cup and the Melbourne Cup.

Worldwide, the top three talked-about topics were the World Cup, Ebola virus outbreak and Elections in Brazil.

Facebook Australia's head of policy Mia Garlick said the most frequently mentioned topics on the social media site were a mix of current events, politics and sport.

"What people talk about with their friends and family, it's often what's reported in the news," she said.

She said the inclusion of Robin Williams and Malaysia Airlines in the top three showed people were turning to social media to cope with loss.

In 2013 the federal election got Australian Facebookers talking – the terms Vote, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott all appeared in Australia's top 10 then, while worldwide, Pope Francis, Election and Royal Baby were the top three topics.

But proving Facebook popularity can be fleeting, the "Harlem Shake" was the fifth most talked about global topic in 2013 after the internet meme went viral in February that year.

By 2014 the phenomenon had fallen off the public radar almost completely.

Ms Garlick said Facebook gathered the data in a way that kept posters' identities anonymous.

Australia: Most talked-about topics in 2014

1.      Robin Williams

2.      Tony Abbott

3.      Malaysia Airlines

4.      Ice Bucket Challenge

5.      Game of Thrones

6.      Ebola virus outbreak

7.      Conflict in Gaza

8.      South Sydney Rabbitohs

9.      World Cup

10.  Melbourne Cup

Australia: Most checked-into places 

1.      Darling Harbour, Sydney

2.      Sydney Opera House

3.      Melbourne Cricket Ground

4.      Sydney Harbour

5.      Taronga Zoo, Sydney

6.      Warner Bros. Movie World - Gold Coast

7.      Sea World - Gold Coast

8.      South Bank, Brisbane

9.      Dreamworld Australia, Gold Coast

10.    Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

Global: Most talked-about topics in 2014

1.      World Cup

2.      Ebola virus outbreak

3.      Elections in Brazil

4.      Robin Williams

5.      Ice Bucket Challenge

6.      Conflict in Gaza

7.      Malaysia Airlines

8.      Super Bowl

9.      Michael Brown/Ferguson

10.  Sochi Winter Olympics