Top 7 Social Media moments of 2016

This has been a year of major upsets, celeb fights, scandals, break ups and drama which had a lot of us chatting, talking and tweeting from our phones.

Social media once again played a huge part in how we discussed these events. In some of the situations, the event unfolded on social media which made us glued to our smartphones.

It's true what they say, the Internet killed the TV. Below is a list of the seven top social media moments from 2016.

1) The Other Room

In October 2016, President Buhari sparked a fire on Twitter with his 'in the other room' gaffe about the First Lady's role in his life. The leader of the nation said his wife's role in his life was restricted to her role in the kitchen and the bedroom. Nigeria and most of the western world gasped when he said this in front of journalist in Germany.

The President set social media over here ablaze with his misogynistic statement. Several threads popped criticizing President Buhari saying women have a lot more to offer than in the kitchen and bedroom.

2) Penguins

Infidelity will always be a hot button issue on social media especially on Twitter. Putting a twist to the infidelity narrative on our timeline, the National Geographic released a clip of a male penguin who fought to get his wife back but was beaten by his rival who took her from him.

It was an emotional video that threw a new light on infidelity in marriages. The video was the talk of the town for some good ol' days.

3) Cocaine cowgirls

No story in 2016 summarised the drug culture in Nigeria than the story of the lesbian cocaine cowgirls. In what felt like a Quentin Tarantino-James Hardley Chase mashup, friends turned foes exposed their lesbian trysts, mi-fi stealing ways and cocaine sniffing ways.

The story had the recipe for a throwback Nollywood hit movie, (supposedly) Lekki big girls, sex, and drugs. Like that popular song goes, girls really just want to have fun.

4) Ahmed Mayowa and the donation saga

In the month of July, Nigeria was moved by the story of Ahmed Mayowa, a lady suffering from stage IV ovarian cancer. Her story went viral in a few days and thousands of Nigerians donated to save her life. Even top actress Toyin Aimakhu got in on the charity drive.

Things unfortunately became worse when Toyin Aimakhu came out to say that the family of Ahmed Mayowa wanted to abscond with the money raised. The Nigerian Police Force got involved and things became very messy. By the time the funds were released, Ahmed Mayowa only had a few weeks to live. She died shortly after.

5) Rape Hooligans

If a topic dominated Nigerian Twitter, it was rape. 2016 saw many young Nigerians talk about the sensitive issue. Some even spoke about their personal experiences.

The rape culture on Twitter had been boiling for a couple of years but things came to a breaking point when popular Twitter user Queen Cleo 92 accused another popular Twitter user I Am Not A Hooligan of being a serial rapist. Allegations were made and screen shots were tweeted. Twitter was hot for more than a few days. The episode died down afterwards.

6) Dubai Girls

In March 2016, the sordid tales of Nigerian runs girls in Dubai having sex with HIV-positive men shook the social media space. Screenshots of a runs girl chatting with a Dubai millionaire who claimed his HIV-positive status was dormant was shared thousand of times.

Also in the big revelation, these so-called Dubai big girls engaged in coprophilia. The discussion raged for a couple of days on our timelines and the gist opened us to the world where young women would do the unthinkable for money and status.

7) 200k salary

One wonders how these topics come up. In August 2016, the big deal was whether N200,000 was enough to get married and start a family. The debate was heated and emotional.

Many people on Twitter were of the opinion that N200,000 was more than enough to start a family and be comfortable. This opinion did not sit well with many on Twitter. Tweets arguing against this view came in thick and fast. The debate turned to a huge big argument that has not had a clear winner till today.