The Top 6 Things that Broke the Internet l Trending Stories on the Web l Popular News Stories 2016 l Trending Celebrity News 2016

Shutterstock.com

We read about the term "breaking the internet" on social media and hear it on the news. Surprisingly, it is a relatively new concept that was first launched by Kim Kardashian. When the reality star posed for the cover of Paper magazine in 2014 she claimed “it would break the internet.” Her prophecy was correct! No matter where you went people were talking about the famous backside on social media channels and on other media platforms. This example is what breaking the internet means. Don't worry, the Kardashians made the list this year for family drama. They joined others who also rocked our world online. The top things that broke the internet were politics, internet hackers, a reunion foiled and a shocking breakup (guess who?). Here are 6 memorable and not so memorable moments this year that we certainly can’t forget.

Rob Kardashian's Love Life

Helga Esteb/Shutterstock.com

There is a “Break the Internet” Award for success online. The Kardashians as a whole won it in a landslide. However, Kim was not the only one on the hot seat. This year the internet was abuzz over brother Rob Kardashian’s relationship with Blac Chyna, who just had their baby. The feud between Chyna and Rob Kardashian’s mom Kris Jenner is nothing new as it is alleged that Jenner is trying to control the relationship. The conflict has been the talk on the social media feeds as Jenner is reportedly frustrated with the union. To add more pressure, the couple's dirty laundry was aired on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” Kim said that Chyna and Rob both were sending mean texts and it was getting out of hand. "I don't know I mean she texts him crazy things, he texts her crazy things all night long,” Kim explained. As long as you have the Kardashians, you will have news!

Donald Trump's Twitter Rants

The war of the words between President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2016 became fierce and broke the internet. The internet gods were kept busy with Trump and other candidates calling each other names. Trump was labeled a bully as he used nicknames like lying “Ted (Cruz),” “Low Energy-Energy Jeb Bush,” “Crazy Bernie (Sanders),” “Crooked Hillary (Clinton),” and “Little Marko (Mark Rubio).” Trump used Twitter as his vehicle that brought laughs and jeers from his own party and opponents. When he referred to Senate Democrat Elizabeth Warren as “Goofy” after she called him a “bully" on Twitter, the war was on. “Elizabeth Warren and her phony Native American heritage are on a Twitter rant. She is too easy! I'm driving her nuts," he wrote. Trump’s win in the election was a hard pill to swallow for many, but brought great joy to those demanding change.

The Democrats Lose the Election

Gage Skidnore/Flickr

This election cycle has been a whirlwind in 2016 and when Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton, the assumed winner lost--it created chaos in communities. The news spread fast on major news networks and social media platforms on the election results. Images flooded social media of the devastation experienced from the Clinton campaign and supporters who were shocked. Protesters started to post on social media and took their anger to the streets. While there were quiet protesters, there were those who started fires and vandalized businesses across the country. When Clinton addressed supporters the day after her loss, the speech was so inspiring that people shared the video and it created another newsworthy buzz. The speech was shared on multiple media platforms and praised by opponents. She also denounced any protesting violence.

A Reunion Foiled

One of the most popular shows to ever hit the tube was “Friends.” You remember the hit sitcom of the 1990s, which was bigger than life and short bobs. A rumor circulated that there was going to be a reunion episode of Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Courteney Cox (Monica), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Matthew Perry (Chandler), David Schwimmer (Ross) and Matt LeBlanc (Joey). More than a decade after the show aired on NBC—fans were excited and ready to embrace a reunion show. Those dreams of seeing the fabulous 6 were dashed when it was apparent it was just a rumor. The cast did meet (except Mathew Perry), but it was in honor of famed director James Burrows who directed "Friends," “Taxi,” “Will & Grace” and “Cheers.”

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Divorce

Team Jennifer Aniston was pretty happy when news broke of Angelina Jolie divorcing Brand Pitt. You did not need to read the story as everyone could fill you in on this one! After 9 years together the couple married in 2014 and people remained enamored with the couple since they met on the set of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” However, the magic started to fade. Jolie filed for divorce in September citing irreconcilable differences. Rumors quickly spread that substance abuse and anger were triggers for the divorce. Where did the team concept come from? Team Angie vs. team Jen took a life of its own after Jolie said that she looked forward in seeing Pitt everyday while filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” Pitt was still married to Aniston, who had no clue what was going on. She later said it was "uncool.” Fans of Aniston were elated by the news.

The Day the Internet Broke

The internet actually did break in 2016. For real! Hacked home devices caused a massive internet outage in October. The attack blocked users from accessing Tumblr, Twitter, Spotify, Netflix, Amazon and other sites, USA Today reported. Dyn, Inc. is an internet performance management company and they help companies monitor their networks. Those companies they managed were hacked and Dyn called it “a very smart attack.” The timing of the attack was also suspicious as the Democratic National Committee was hacked into and emails were stolen from their servers. It was speculated that Russia was behind the attack since they desired to see a Donald Trump presidency.