As 2017 comes to an end, looking back at the various news points that trended this year, it’s disturbing how fake news pretty much ruled the Internet on multiple occasions.

A trend of fake news being widely shared across social media platforms right from Twitter to Facebook and WhatsApp was witnessed many times, to the extent that ‘fake news’ was also named word of the year by Collins Dictionary due to its widespread use around the world, reports the Indian Express.

A UK-based lexicographer found that the use of ‘fake news’ registered a 365 per cent rise in the last 12 months, reflecting Trump’s consistent use of the word, as well as the hoax stories that went viral this year. 

Defined as ‘false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting,’ it has directly affected news reporting all across the globe.

While social media is a great place to share news and have some fun as well, people need to be wary of sensationalised news that may not be true.

Here are 15 such instances when most online users found themselves in a muddle after the truth behind each one was discovered.

1. Akash Ambani’s viral ‘wedding card worth Rs 1.5 lakh made of gold’

A clip showing an elaborate wedding card, allegedly with pure gold plating, was doing the rounds of various social media platforms, with rumour mills buzzing that this invite could be that of Mukesh and Nita Ambani’s eldest son, Akash Ambani. However, Reliance Industries Ltd quashed the news saying: ‘A fake video illustrating an alleged wedding card of Mr Akash Ambani – Board Member, Reliance Jio, is being currently circulated on various social media and instant message platforms. We would like to clarify that this video is completely untrue and contains hoax content designed purely for sensationalism.’ 

2. The ‘zombie’ Angelina Jolie lookalike ‘after 50 surgeries’

Nineteen-year-old Sahar Tabar’s pictures splashed all over the Internet with the claim that she underwent 50 surgeries to look like her Hollywood idol Angelina Jolie and sent shock-waves across social media. Later, it came to light after an interview with Sputnik, that the claims of Tabar undergoing plastic surgery to look like Jolie was actually wrong, and the results were thanks to, well, ‘technology’. Remember, in today’s age, seeing is not believing.

3. South Africa president Jacob Zuma’s ‘in the beginning’ video

A fake video of the South African president Jacob Zuma did the rounds of social media to show that he cannot pronounce the word ‘beginning’. However, it was later found out that the flurry of ‘in the beginning’ videos on YouTube were all fake, and people started posting the original video to reveal the truth behind it. 

4. The claim that Swami Vivekananda’s statue was beheaded by Muslims

A photo of Swami Vivekananda’s beheaded statue surfaced on social media. Later, a website named Akhand Bharat reported that the anti-social element who damaged the statue was subsequently arrested. However, it was turned into a communal fight when a tweet claiming that Muslims beheaded it went viral. The tweet by handle named @ShankhNaad was retweeted thousands of times, but it turned out to be a hoax.

5. Astronaut shared lit-up pic of India, but it was not from Diwali – again!

A breathtaking picture of ‘India during Diwali as seen from the cosmos’ had gone viral on social media. The picture was shared by astronaut Paolo Nespoli (@astro_paolo). Although the picture is indeed beautiful there is a slight problem — it’s a picture of India from space alright, but it’s not a Diwali night photo! A Twitter user dug out and tweeted that the photograph was originally shared by the astronaut on his Flickr account on September 29, 2017, nearly a month before Diwali!