:00:00. > :00:00.social media this year. We examine the issues that had been trending at
:00:00. > :00:18.home and around the world in Review 2015.
:00:19. > :00:23.Tens of millions of people freaked out in a social media frenzy over
:00:24. > :00:34.It all started in the UK when a woman sent a photo
:00:35. > :00:37.of the dress she was planning to wear to her daughter's wedding.
:00:38. > :00:41.The bride and groom had a big difference of opinion on the colour.
:00:42. > :00:46.So it was posted on the site Tumblr to let the internet decide.
:00:47. > :00:52.It went viral because people were just fascinated by it.
:00:53. > :00:57.What was interesting is that traditional media organisations also
:00:58. > :01:00.had a role, so BuzzFeed was the first blog to pick it up.
:01:01. > :01:02.Their post got 39 million views, I think, in the end,
:01:03. > :01:06.so much that their servers were slightly overloaded by it.
:01:07. > :01:12.Our post got more than a couple of million, so we were a real part
:01:13. > :01:17.Millions argued about what colour this dress really was.
:01:18. > :01:18.Celebrities had public meltdowns, joining Team White and Gold,
:01:19. > :01:24.So why do people see different colours?
:01:25. > :01:29.Blue light is absorbed differently in different eyes, so what we end up
:01:30. > :01:31.with in terms of retinal signals will vary significantly
:01:32. > :01:36.for these particular stripes from person to person.
:01:37. > :01:39.The dress might seem like silly to some, and a scientific anomaly
:01:40. > :01:44.to others, but to the people who took the original image it
:01:45. > :01:53.They have actually you know, done some...
:01:54. > :01:55.They have been using it to promote their business.
:01:56. > :01:58.They have been using it - they had conferences and shown how,
:01:59. > :02:01.with algorithms and everything else, how they actually made it go viral.
:02:02. > :02:07.But nobody ever came to us, and...
:02:08. > :02:15.We never even got a credit or anything.
:02:16. > :02:20.Well, we were really annoyed at BuzzFeed, because basically
:02:21. > :02:22.they have taken our property, and profited off it.
:02:23. > :02:25.Without even giving us a credit, a thank you.
:02:26. > :02:28.So in some way there's is a melancholy twist to them.
:02:29. > :02:30.They have now hired a solicitor to protect their
:02:31. > :02:37.The blog BuzzFeed say they respect intellectual property,
:02:38. > :02:40.they told us, and they act promptly to make sure it is respected.
:02:41. > :02:51.and ordinary people like Paul James and Cecelia Bleasdale are having
:02:52. > :02:53.to navigate this funny world of the viral web.
:02:54. > :02:55.So the dress was a curious illustration of how
:02:56. > :03:00.It also shows the power of media organisations in making something go
:03:01. > :03:10.Politicians around the world have largely embraced social media,
:03:11. > :03:16.but there are times when they probably wished
:03:17. > :03:19.Like when Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe was the butt
:03:20. > :03:23.of internet jokes after he took a tumble outside Harare airport.
:03:24. > :03:26.His security personnel reportedly asked photographers
:03:27. > :03:39.German Chancellor Angela Merkel reduced a Palestinian refugee
:03:40. > :03:42.to tears during a live TV discussion.
:03:43. > :03:46.Her attempt to comfort the girl resulted in a trending hashtag.
:03:47. > :03:52.Former British Labour leader Ed Miliband gained fans
:03:53. > :03:52.all round the world and became a sex symbol after his face
:03:53. > :03:57.was photoshopped on to images of celebrities.
:03:58. > :04:01.And the US Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump managed
:04:02. > :04:07.Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments
:04:08. > :04:20.You have to see this guy - oh, I don't know what I said,
:04:21. > :04:34.Donald J Trump is calling for a total and complete shut down
:04:35. > :04:36.of Muslims entering the United States until our
:04:37. > :04:49.country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.
:04:50. > :04:54.The Kardashians are one of the most famous families in the world.
:04:55. > :04:58.Rarely a day passes that one of them isn't featured on a gossip column
:04:59. > :05:01.Last year, Kim Kardashian tried to break the internet
:05:02. > :05:06.This year, it was all about Caitlin Jenner.
:05:07. > :05:08.Caitlin Jenner used to be known as Bruce Jenner,
:05:09. > :05:14.a US Olympic athlete and stepdad to the Kardashian siblings.
:05:15. > :05:18.In June, she unveiled her new identity on the cover
:05:19. > :05:20.of Vanity Fair, saying she is transgender and identifies
:05:21. > :05:28.Minutes after activating her Twitter account, the hashtag #CallMeCaitlin
:05:29. > :05:34.The response on social media was overwhelmingly positive.
:05:35. > :05:39.But some people wondered if Caitlin Jenner reflected
:05:40. > :05:44.the reality facing ordinary transwomen.
:05:45. > :05:47.The Vanity Fair shoot was hailed a pivotal moment
:05:48. > :05:53.But before the world had even met Caitlin Jenner,
:05:54. > :05:55.there was already a surge of activity around transgender
:05:56. > :05:58.For example, parents of transgender kids used social networks to come
:05:59. > :06:01.out about their children's gender identity.
:06:02. > :06:05.She had always asked for the pretty dresses at the store.
:06:06. > :06:08.We thought we have a slightly feminine boy, so what?
:06:09. > :06:12.It was a change of thought of, OK, there might be something more
:06:13. > :06:49.going on here when she came and talked to me.
:06:50. > :06:52.She came to me one night and she said, "You know,
:06:53. > :06:55.I know I have a boy body and I know I am a boy,
:06:56. > :06:59.but I don't really think I'm a boy on the inside."
:07:00. > :07:04.She grew her hair out and found a play group,
:07:05. > :07:13.I think videos like that have both a positive and negative effect.
:07:14. > :07:17.I think they are really wonderful for families who are looking
:07:18. > :07:21.for other families like them, but on the other hand I do worry
:07:22. > :07:26.a little bit about putting, especially the videos and pictures
:07:27. > :07:32.out publicly of the child, because there might come a point
:07:33. > :07:36.It is really important that, certainly for young transpeople,
:07:37. > :07:38.they are seeing other transpeople like them, out there online,
:07:39. > :07:44.The internet had already become space for meaningful transgender
:07:45. > :07:51.What Caitlin Jenner did was consolidate those conversations
:07:52. > :07:58.The refugee crisis was a story that dominated the news and social media
:07:59. > :08:05.But there was one image that made the world really take notice.
:08:06. > :08:08.A photograph of the three-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi,
:08:09. > :08:14.washed up on a beach, sparked international outrage.
:08:15. > :08:18.The little boy had been on the treacherous journey
:08:19. > :08:22.from Turkey to Greece with his family, when the boat capsized.
:08:23. > :08:26.Photographs of his body being recovered led to an emotional
:08:27. > :09:01.Internet users asked if it was right to share the images.
:09:02. > :09:04.We heard thousands of stories, we saw thousands of
:09:05. > :09:13.It was something about that picture, almost God put the light on that
:09:14. > :09:23.Aylan Kurdi gave a face to the refugee crisis.
:09:24. > :09:29.The photos of his little body washed ashore brought home
:09:30. > :09:31.the reality of the situation facing many refugees.
:09:32. > :09:38.At the time, it seemed like the world could no longer turn
:09:39. > :09:40.But did all the outrage online actually make a difference?
:09:41. > :09:43.In the UK, a petition calling on the Government to accept more
:09:44. > :09:46.asylum seekers saw a rapid surge in signatures.
:09:47. > :09:50.Germany also made it known that refugees were welcome.
:09:51. > :09:55.And people shared happy pictures of refugees.
:09:56. > :09:57.But there was still moments of outcry, like when this
:09:58. > :10:06.camerawoman tripped up refugees along the Hungarian border.
:10:07. > :10:23.And some refugees ended up saying things that surprised people.
:10:24. > :10:25.Don't come to Sweden - or at least think carefully
:10:26. > :10:36.So why do so many Syrians come to Sweden?
:10:37. > :10:54.If you Google "asylum" in Arabic, Sweden comes up on the top.
:10:55. > :11:47.When I come to Sweden I get this house.
:11:48. > :11:49.Just because you have relocated to a new place doesn't automatically
:11:50. > :12:02.mean you like it or consider it home.
:12:03. > :12:09.The year started and ended with tragedy in Paris.
:12:10. > :12:11.In January, 17 people were killed after an attack at the offices
:12:12. > :12:13.of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
:12:14. > :12:16.The incident inspired one of the world's most recognisable
:12:17. > :12:24.I did these three words simply because I think I was deeply shocked
:12:25. > :12:27.of what happened, but I wasn't frightened.
:12:28. > :12:33.I was trying to express something that was my feeling,
:12:34. > :12:41.I didn't want to make any buzz or anything.
:12:42. > :12:43.Millions used the slogan on social media.
:12:44. > :12:49.Je Suis Charlie became one of the fastest growing hashtags
:12:50. > :12:52.Those who hadn't heard of Charlie Hebdo before,
:12:53. > :12:55.It is something so personal, Je Suis Charlie.
:12:56. > :12:58.Something I wrote for me, to express to a few of my friends,
:12:59. > :13:05.This is what is kind of scary, and this is at that point
:13:06. > :13:09.where I understood, well, I tried to understand
:13:10. > :13:16.It wasn't long before the global solidarity fragmented
:13:17. > :13:21.People began to reflect on what Je Suis Charlie meant.
:13:22. > :13:24.Some didn't like the idea of honouring a newspaper
:13:25. > :13:27.which prides itself on being mean and nasty.
:13:28. > :13:29.New hashtags emerged, replacing the name Charlie with,
:13:30. > :13:37.for example, Ahmed, the Muslim policeman who was also killed
:13:38. > :13:39.The phrase Je Suis had become a meme.
:13:40. > :13:43.Throughout year, it was applied to other trending stories.
:13:44. > :13:45.It would eventually be used again, when terror struck
:13:46. > :13:53.On Friday 13th November, 130 people were killed in a series
:13:54. > :13:58.of co-ordinated attacks around Paris.
:13:59. > :14:00.Eyewitnesses logged on to their social networks to warn
:14:01. > :14:04.others about what was happening, and in the aftermath social media
:14:05. > :14:10.was where they went to try to make sense of it all.
:14:11. > :14:15.Social media was a place where a lot of people went to,
:14:16. > :14:18.to express support, solidarity, the first to use the hashtag pray
:14:19. > :14:21.for Paris, and then the hashtag spray for Paris, where they shared
:14:22. > :14:24.pictures of graffiti, again expressing solidarity.
:14:25. > :14:28.A lot of people also changed their Facebook profile
:14:29. > :14:31.to the colours of the French flag - blue, white, red.
:14:32. > :14:34.A few metres away from here, a pianist played a song,
:14:35. > :14:36.Imagine by John Lennon, and a video of that moment
:14:37. > :14:44.was posted online and has been viewed by millions.
:14:45. > :14:47.Recently, when we had those terror attacks in Paris on 13th November,
:14:48. > :14:54.quite quickly there was those hashtag called pray for Paris.
:14:55. > :14:57.It didn't come from Paris, it came from the United States.
:14:58. > :15:02.We really thought it has nothing to do with God whatsoever.
:15:03. > :15:07.It has to do with, at one point we have to feel united.
:15:08. > :15:09.But on the contrary, we don't want to have anything
:15:10. > :15:25.I think it has nothing to do with religion.
:15:26. > :15:44.It has only to do with people, just crazy people, doing crazy stuff.
:15:45. > :15:46.Now to something completely meaningless that has captivated
:15:47. > :16:13.A mystery word has taken the Chinese internet by storm.
:16:14. > :16:16.Pronounced duang, the character is so new it can't even be found
:16:17. > :16:22.It appeared millions of times in Weibo, in hundreds
:16:23. > :16:24.of thousands of conversations, but no-one actually
:16:25. > :16:35.translation, and you can't find it meanings, but there is no perfect
:16:36. > :16:37.You can use it as an adjective, to put emphasise on the word
:16:38. > :16:46.At the same time, you can use it as a verb.
:16:47. > :16:55.Is it a verb, is it a noun, is it an adjective?
:16:56. > :16:58.Jackie Chan used this word in a commercial back in 2004,
:16:59. > :17:01.but he didn't share it on the internet until this year.
:17:02. > :17:05.So 11 years later it finally took off, caused a lot of duang frenzy
:17:06. > :17:11.on the Chinese internet and a lot of duang use of this word in China.
:17:12. > :17:14.Interestingly, even the writing of this word is a combination
:17:15. > :17:20.So a lot of people are using it, this word duang, but nobody knows
:17:21. > :17:26.Even Jackie Chan himself got finally involved.
:17:27. > :17:30.So everyone is duanging - no-one knows why.
:17:31. > :17:36.Last year, millions of people threw buckets of ice water
:17:37. > :17:39.over their heads, and posted selfies with no make up on,
:17:40. > :17:46.resulting in millions of dollars being raised for charities.
:17:47. > :17:48.This year, the challenges were slightly more bizarre
:17:49. > :17:55.In China, people binged on the strong spirit Baijiu
:17:56. > :18:01.Like neknominate, the drinking trend attracted controversy
:18:02. > :18:07.because of the dangers of alcohol abuse.
:18:08. > :18:14.In Uzbekistan, people filmed themselves burning foreign bank
:18:15. > :18:14.notes, a tradition rooted in the country's historical clan
:18:15. > :18:16.Perhaps bizarrely of all, people started throwing inflated
:18:17. > :18:22.Ironic, considering the challenge doesn't look safe at all.
:18:23. > :18:24.Thousands tried to copy Kylie Jenner's big pout by sucking
:18:25. > :18:26.on bottles to make their lips swell up.
:18:27. > :18:28.Health experts expressed concern though, because the suction
:18:29. > :18:37.And millions shared "unattractive" videos of themselves,
:18:38. > :18:41.only to reveal their "true beauty" to make a statement
:18:42. > :18:49.Around the same time, the beauty blogger Em Ford made
:18:50. > :18:56.a video about the things people wrote about her,
:18:57. > :19:04.It is all about the type of comments I receive without make up
:19:05. > :19:08.and the comments I receive with make up.
:19:09. > :19:11.I just wanted to bring awareness to the type of comments,
:19:12. > :19:13.and show people how unrealistic the expectations are on what women
:19:14. > :19:20.In fact, if you don't wear make up you are called ugly,
:19:21. > :19:22.you are told that you don't put enough effort into your appearance,
:19:23. > :19:26.but if you do wear make up you are told you are fake.
:19:27. > :19:32.So the debate over body image raged on in 2015.
:19:33. > :19:36.In Australia, a TV host started the hashtag drop the plus,
:19:37. > :19:38.to get shops and the fashion industry to stop using
:19:39. > :19:51.If young girls look at girls like Stephania,
:19:52. > :19:55.if they are considered fat in modelling terms,
:19:56. > :19:59.what are those girls going to think about themselves?
:20:00. > :20:01.I would love to see the plus tag dropped completely
:20:02. > :20:04.from the modelling industry, and that as well would
:20:05. > :20:11.We would no longer have a plus size section in stores.
:20:12. > :20:14.There is a delineation of what's a "real model" and what's
:20:15. > :20:15.a "plus size" model, and then there is
:20:16. > :20:21.I was about to go to bed one night, and through the Facebook feed came
:20:22. > :20:26.this story about "plus size model gets accepted for this campaign",
:20:27. > :20:31.and I looked at the photo and I couldn't see what I perceived
:20:32. > :20:36.as any kind of a plus size woman at all.
:20:37. > :20:39.I was just like, oh my God, if this woman is plus sized,
:20:40. > :20:52.I wasn't expecting the whole thing to blow up and become as widespread
:20:53. > :20:56.I asked my little 14-year-old sister to take the photo and she just
:20:57. > :21:04.took it on her iPhone, and we uploaded it from there.
:21:05. > :21:18.There is already a numeric scale, from 0-30, maybe even beyond.
:21:19. > :21:18.We don't need any other terms, and we certainly don't need
:21:19. > :21:23.plus in relation to a woman, or a blogger, or a fashion
:21:24. > :21:36.And it wouldn't be a trending year without a trending soundtrack.
:21:37. > :22:10.In the UK, school leavers made dance videos.
:22:11. > :22:12.In Taiwan, millions viewed this video about foreigners
:22:13. > :22:20.And the Internet found a new way to call out fibbers.
:22:21. > :23:07.Hip-hop got a halal remix by the rapper Jae Deen.
:23:08. > :23:18.Sierra Leone celebrated being free from Ebola with a song and video
:23:19. > :23:22.featuring dancing health workers and twerking policemen.
:23:23. > :23:32.And this song sent the Internet into a creative frenzy.
:23:33. > :23:36.# You used to call me on my cell phone
:23:37. > :23:39.# Late night when you need my love
:23:40. > :23:58.The first thing I realised, it looked like he was swingeing
:23:59. > :24:00.something around with his hand, the way his motion was.
:24:01. > :24:03.I was like, it may be funny to do something
:24:04. > :24:07.So like I added tennis balls and everything and him playing it.
:24:08. > :24:14.every three seconds there were 3000 to make the video and at its peak,
:24:15. > :24:31.It's kind of like just the portrayal of my life story.
:24:32. > :24:34.I am myself Serbian, my dad was a construction worker
:24:35. > :24:38.and when we came here we did anything we could to