Unless you exclude yourself entirely from social media, it’s difficult to stay ignorant of what's trending. With the prevalence of hashtags – first on Twitter and Instagram, later even on Facebook – it’s become easier than ever to find out what everyone is talking about. Here are some of the most talked about things of 2013.

1. Miley’s new moves

"What is twerking?" – was one of the most often searched questions this year on Google, thanks in no small part to Miley Cyrus. Although the dance move itself has been around for quite a while, its elevation to pop-culture phenomenon status came with Miley’s infamous VMA performance of her hit song ‘We Can’t Stop’. Reactions on the internet and in the media ranged from an outcry against the appropriation of African-American culture to comparisons with strip clubs.

Just when we thought Miley had got over her rebellious Disney Princess-to-maturity gesture, she released the video for her single ‘Wrecking Ball’, in which she uses the objects of a construction site for things other than their original purpose, causing parents of Hannah Montana fans to take to Twitter with their complaints.

Although she received a lot of criticism in 2013, it is clear that Miley Cyrus has done something right: her new album Bangerz sold 270 000 copies in its first week, while the video for ‘Wrecking Ball’ racked up a record number of views - 19 million to be precise – in the 24 hours after it was released on YouTube.

2. Robin Thicke blurs the lines

It was the song of the summer, inescapable and highly infectious. That is until people started paying attention to its lyrics. There was discomfort about the implications of lines such as “I know you want it” in the chorus. Universities in the UK took these concerns seriously, several of them banning the song from their campus bars. But it wasn’t just the lyrics that had the internet buzzing. The song was promoted with two videos simultaneously; one featured its models dancing around Robin Thicke and pals in skimpy clothes, while the other showed them topless, in skin-coloured undergarments. The unrated version was banned from YouTube.

3. The end of Breaking Bad

This popular TV drama, about a chemistry teacher who turns to crime ended late September 2013, creating an intensive case of spoiler-phobia amongst English fans, airing as it did a day after the US series on Netflix.  But it wasn’t the season finale that garnered the most attention. The fourteenth episode of their last season –  ‘Ozymandias’ – drew unanimous praise from critics, some even going as far as to call it the best TV episode ever written. Twitter caught light, with thousands of tweets following every moment of the drama. As one fan put it, "Kind of feels like anyone not watching Breaking Bad is in a unique position to take over the world right now".

If you haven’t seen the show yet, the Christmas break is the perfect time for a Netflix binge.

4. Jennifer Lawrence trips her way to an Oscar

The Oscars is an annual award-show; Jennifer Lawrence’s win shouldn’t really have featured on the pop-culture radar that prominently.  However, the image of her tripping on her way to accept the golden statue went viral instantly. It’s not the embarrassing moment that’s garnered such interest,  but rather Lawrence herself and the incident as a mere  example of her strange mixture of down-to-earth humour and welcome lack of pretentiousness – qualities that most movie stars seem to lack. Jennifer Lawrence is not afraid to speak her mind, but she does so with a slightly crazed humour that has endeared her to fans worldwide. Not to mention the fact that she’s delivered consistently good performances since Winter’s Bone, for which she received her first Oscar nod.

5. Queen B rules iTunes

Beyoncé fans around the world have been demanding an album, and it remained unclear why the songstress did not deliver in 2013. After all, in no way has she been sitting on the sidelines this year. Her last album may have been released in 2011, but she’s been continually performing on her tour the Mrs. Carter Show throughout 2013, as well as singing at both the Presidential Inauguration and the Super Bowl. Yet despite these efforts,  fans worldwide were getting antsy.

However, the pop diva did not disappoint. She wowed followers on December 13th with the surprise release of a new album on iTunes. Not only did the self-titled record feature 14 brand new songs, but it was also released alongside 17 brand new accompanying videos.

The album had 617,000 downloads in its first three days, beating Taylor Swift for the iTunes record. It’s clear that the gamble of an unpromoted visual album paid off for Beyoncé.