The influence of social media on society today is of profound importance, and 2017 was no exception. This past year was one when netizens widely used social media platforms to scrutinise matters of public interest. Below are the top five news stories of the year that spread online mostly through social media initially in a much faster and wider manner before the mainstream media picked up and pursued them.
The Bangkok Post has selected these five stories because they became the talk of the town. Many people on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other platforms wrote posts and made personal comments about the issues, calling on state agencies and people involved to take action.
Prawit's pricey watches land him in graftbusters' crosshairs
1. Social media mavens and online sleuths were the first to publicly question how Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon had the financial means to own a Richard Mille watch worth 3 million baht (US$92,000) and an expensive diamond ring despite his career as a military man on a meagre salary before he entered the political fray.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon is in hot water over luxury watches. Chanat Katanyu
The scandal broke after a photograph showing Gen Prawit raising his right hand to shield his eyes from sunlight during a group photo session for newly sworn-in cabinet ministers on Dec 4 went viral.
It immediately caught people's attention due to the flashy nature of Gen Prawit's designer watch and ring.
Netizens wondered how he had the financial means to pay for such treasured jewellery.
They subsequently asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to look into whether Gen Prawit had declared both the watch and the ring before taking up the role of deputy prime minister.
Not long after this, newspapers, broadcasters and foreign correspondents picked up the story and dug deeper into the mystery of Gen Prawit's wealth.
At the same time Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Thai Constitution Protection Association, petitioned the NACC to investigate Gen Prawit's wristwatch collection.
In the petition, Mr Srisuwan submitted as evidence a number of photographs circulating on social media that showed the deputy prime minister wearing various expensive watch brands.
These included one believed to be a 4-million-baht Richard Mille (model RM30) which Mr Srisuwan claimed was different from the one featured in the Dec 4 photo that went viral.
The NACC gave Gen Prawit 30 days (until Jan 8) to explain to the graft-busting body how he obtained the watches and at what prices, which he did this week, according to the NACC.
However, in the lull before this, netizens came up with their own investigations, comments and memes.
The CSI LA Facebook page, for example, shared pictures and estimated the cost of other watches worn by Gen Prawit, including another 4-million-baht Richard Mille, a Patek Philippe 5960/1A worth over 1.5 million baht, and what seemed to be a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ice Blue Dial Platinum, which carries a value of up to 2.4 million baht.
The controversy over the deputy prime minister's luxury wristwatch collection has discouraged other cabinet members and military top brass from displaying the trappings of their wealth and elite lifestyles.
It could also end up keeping Gen Prawit out of a military-engineered future government.
A number of ministers are now treading much more carefully in terms of their choice of watches, especially when visiting Government House, according to reports.
They know they too are being monitored by the media and may eventually be criticised online if their valuables draw the same controversy over whether they were properly declared to the NACC.
High-ranking figures are increasingly aware their timepieces are under watch and this ramped-up level of scrutiny has now been extended to include the military top brass, who are keen to maintain a lower profile.
Cheeky temple snap 'butts' sent packing
2. When travelling overseas, it's strongly advised that a visitor should do some research about the culture, traditions and local laws of each country. Otherwise, you could end up in serious trouble, as two Americans found out.
Netizens urged police to take legal action against two Americans who exposed their buttocks at the revered Wat Arun in November. They were arrested and fined 5,000 baht each before being deported. travis dasilva facebook
Thai netizens condemned them for exposing their bare bottoms at Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), a revered Buddhist temple in Bangkok Yai district, on the Thon Buri west bank of the Chao Phraya River after they posted photos of the act.
Netizens urged police to take legal action against the two, saying they had no respect for Thailand's culture and religious values. Their inappropriate act insulted Buddhism, they said.
After the story and pictures went viral, the mainstream media picked up on the news and identified the two American tourists later as Joseph Dasilva, 38, and Travis Dasilva, 36, a gay married couple from San Diego's Hillcrest neighbourhood. Then they were arrested.
Police found out they had a social media account called "Travelling Butts" with similar pictures taken at various tourist destinations around the world.
The couple were arrested at Don Mueang airport on the night of Nov 28 while leaving Thailand. They were charged with serious computer crime law violations and insulting the religion.
Pol Col Jarupat Thongkomol, chief of Bangkok Yai police station, said on Nov 29 that both men confessed to the act and had been fined 5,000 baht each for public nudity.
The fine was the heaviest permissible for the nudity offence.
Police also charged them with violating the computer crime law for posting pornographic pictures online and breaching Section 206 of the criminal law concerning behaviour at a religious place that insults Buddhism, Pol Col Jarupat said.
The offence under the Computer Crime Act can fetch a jail term of up to five years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht or both.
Wrongdoings under criminal law for insulting religions may lead to a jail term of up to seven years and a 20,000-40,000 baht fine, or both.
However, a police source said the court did not approve warrants to arrest the couple under those criminal charges because the evidence against the pair was not strong enough.
So they got away with just the 5,000-baht fine each and were deported back to the US.
Nathan 'My Mate Nate' Bartling forks out in coin case
3. Online prankster Nathan Bartling, aka "My Mate Nate", made headlines earlier this year after going one stunt too far when he placed coins on rail tracks for trains to run over.
Online prankster Nathan 'My Mate Nate' Bartling angered netizens with a video clip where he placed coins on rail tracks for trains to run over. Netizens demanded that the Immigration Bureau not extend Mr Bartling's visa. @My Mate Nate
The incident took place in mid July.
He made video clips for his YouTube channel "My Mate Nate" to get hits and likes but most netizens did not like this one, with many saying the stunt was potentially dangerous.
Many netizens quickly demanded that the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) lodge a complaint with police against the 24-year-old American. Furthermore, they called on the Immigration Bureau not to extend Bartling's visa so he would no longer be permitted to stay in Thailand.
The mainstream media later picked up the story putting pressure on the SRT to take legal action against Mr Bartling.
Prawet police, who are responsible for rail tracks in Bangkok's Hua Mak area, later charged Bartling with railway obstruction, trespassing and damaging railway property after the SRT finally filed a lawsuit against him.
He was summoned for questioning after the SRT lodged the complaint against him.
He was detained by Prawet police after giving a news conference with railway officials in which he said he would try to make amends by promoting Thailand's state railway.
At the police station, Mr Bartling apologised for his actions, saying he never thought the stunt would "affect the feelings of Thai people". But he vowed to continue his prank videos.
He was fined 5,000 baht for his rail track stunt.
The American, who is a YouTube star with 3.29 million subscribers, also posted earlier video clips that included letting a scorpion fight a cat, which drew harsh criticism as well.
He said he bought the scorpion from a man on Khao San Road in Bangkok and later happened to notice the scorpion fighting the cat, prompting him to film the encounter.
The scorpion's stinger had been removed, and a veterinarian later declared the cat healthy, he said.
Teen singer Lamyai vows to cut back on sexy 'twerks'
4. With singer Lamyai Haithongkham's signature "twerking" moves attracting more than 242 million views, as of July, on YouTube, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha could not sit idly by. He asked the media to warn the performer about her revealing outfits and her "inappropriate" dancing moves.
Singer Lamyai's 'twerks' helped her rack up 242 million views of her YouTube music video as of July. The prime minister publicly criticised her 'inappropriate' dancing. Jetjaras Na Ranong
Lamyai Haithongkham, whose real name is Suphansa Vechkama, was in the spotlight this year after she was lambasted by conservative social critic Rabiabrat Pongpanich, president of the Association of Happy and Warm Family Promotion, over a video of a performance in which she wore a sexy dress and twerked to her song.
Ms Rabiabrat slammed Lamyai's stage name "Haithongkham", which translates into "golden jar", as being "sexually suggestive".
Lamyai's popular song Phu Sao Kha Lo had generated 242 million views on YouTube as of July. The song tells the story of a party girl who is in love with someone else's husband.
Lamyai,18, rose to fame after this YouTube video of hers went viral. She is famous for her thrusting hip movements and a low squatting position, which some of her Thai fans vulgarly call the ka-dao move.
Not long after Ms Rabiabrat's criticism, the prime minister emerged to ask the media to warn the performer over her scantily clad performances and twerks.
He said: The media "should warn her. But it is partly up to the audience. They like watching this".
Asked whether the premier would assign the Ministry of Culture to warn Lamyai, Gen Prayut said: "No. I don't want to warn her [myself]. The media can do it," he said.
In response to Gen Prayut's criticism, Lamyai agreed to reduce her signature "twerking" moves from nine to only three consecutive times.
Prachakchai Naowaras, the manager of Haithongkham Records and also of Lamyai, said Gen Prayut was not serious when he criticised the teen singer over her outfits and moves.
However, Mr Prachakchai added: "Now he has mentioned it, we are ready to fix it.
"We will now reduce the signature twerking moves from nine to three."
At any rate, Mr Prachakchai said it was impossible for Lamyai to don "proper" attire or stop her signature moves. "Even Michael Jackson danced like this," he said.
Posts about cadet death put army on the spot
5. The military government has been in the limelight recently following media reports of the mysterious death of 18-year-old cadet Pakapong "Moei" Tanyakan.
Cadet Pakapong Tanyakan's mysterious death led the public to question 'military discipline'. screen capture of Pakapong Tanyakan
The story of the controversial case hit the headlines in mainstream media after Pakapong's older sister Supicha posted messages on her Facebook page calling on the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School to shed light on the cause of her brother's death and the disappearance of some of his internal organs.
Ms Supicha wrote the messages, asking the pre-cadet school to take responsibility for the death. The family secretly removed their son's body from a cremation ceremony at a temple on Oct 24 to undergo an autopsy at the Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS) under the Ministry of Justice.
Following a public outcry, the military returned the organs to Pakapong's family and said they had been kept for medical examination.
Ms Supicha's posted messages went viral. Mainstream media and foreign correspondents picked up on the story and pursued it until the army set up a military-run committee to probe the cause of death.
Not long after the committee was established, the panel -- chaired by ACM Chawarat Marungruang, deputy chief of staff of the armed forces -- early this month concluded that the death of Pakapong was caused by sudden heart failure.
The committee rejected previous speculation that Pakapong died as a result of physical assault.
However, Pakapong's family, which criticised the military's handling initially, did not accept the panel's findings.
They refused to meet the panel to listen to its conclusions after being invited. Instead they lodged a complaint with Nakhon Nayok police against those they believe should be blamed for the death.
Pakapong's mother Sukanya and Ms Supicha later wrote on Facebook, saying the military investigation will not stop the family from taking legal action against the armed forces. The family still firmly believe Pakapong died after being badly beaten, perhaps for disciplinary violations.
They said the second autopsy by the CIFS found both collarbones broken, a fractured fourth rib and internal bruising on the right side of his abdomen. The injuries were not mentioned by army doctors after their autopsy.
Pakapong died on Oct 17, a day after he returned to the school after a short break. The academy provided a death certificate indicating he had died of sudden cardiac arrest but gave no more details, his family said.
Pakapong's body was cremated on Dec 9 but his family is still waiting for those accused of being behind his death to be brought to justice.