From Pathankot to demonetisation, 2016's tryst with internet

Demonetisation and the smoggy Delhi air trended for many days on social media giving Indians plenty to talk about online. The “most influential moment of the year” on social media was unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to replace just over 86 per cent of currency in circulation. 

The move to invalidate much of the cash left millions in the country constantly looking online for new information and Twitter said 650,000 messages on the move were sent on its network, followed by millions more, putting India into the global limelight. 

The RBI (Reserve Bank of India) being described as ‘Reverse Bank of India’ after its flip-flop on its decision of deposit of cash over Rs 5,000 also created a buzz on the Internet.

Amid the demonetisation ruckus, an unsuspecting ‘Sonam Gupta’ was caught in the social media circus. What started as a joke quickly became a talking point in the nation. The phrase ‘Sonam Gupta Bewafa hai’ (Sonam Gupta is unfaithful) was first seen circulating on an old Rs 10 bill. Later, it appeared on some of the new bills. 

The performance of Indian women athletes at the Rio 2016 Olympics made Indians proud who joined the global Twitter community to celebrate the win, making #Rio2016 Twitter’s top hashtag trend of the year. 

Badminton player P V Sindhu won silver at the Games, while wrestler Sakshi Malik won bronze  and gymnast Dipa Karmakar missed out on a medal. Twitter said millions of tweets were sent about their achievements in Brazil. Their medal victories inspired women everywhere and showcased a spirit of unwavering determination and grit. 

On Facebook, which gained millions of users, the much talked about thing after ‘India celebrates Diwali’ and cricket was the worst attack on the Army base in Uri town in Kashmir that left 17 jawans dead. 

Another top interest was Pathankot attack on New Year’s Day in which six militants attacked a frontline Air Force Station (AFS), sparking a gun battle that lasted for nearly 40 hours and left seven security personnel dead.