Following on from our social media roundup at the end of 2011 let’s take a glimpse at some of the predictions for the social sphere in the next 12 months. Over the past 2 years social networks have become unstoppable behemoths overtaking many of the top portals and search engines as the place where people search. Last year they enabled people to start riots and topple governments, but most importantly became the first place where news breaks globally.

In 2011, technology was the engine of every big story, it changed the news and the way we heard it. Here are some of the most memorable moments of a year when the micro-blogging service Twitter was the first to break many influential headlines.