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Doomsday predictions — the end of the world is approaching! You’ve probably heard all before. The year 2000 was the last popular prediction, but what exactly happened? Other than many confused computers, a new calendar on the wall and a few parties, nothing significant really took place. After all, we're still here today.

When Y2K was proven false, believers were forced to move the date ahead and only one seemed believable; December 21, 2012.

The most popular origin for this date is the calendar created by the ancient Mayan civilization. While December 21, 2012 is the final day of the Mayan Long Count Calendar, it does not suggest the end of the world in any way. Just as the calendars in many people’s homes end each year, and the earth does not cease to exist, the Mayan calendar fails to suggest an end — rather a new beginning.

Another popular suggestion is Planet X or Nibiru, which has been rumoured to be approaching earth, and is expected to hit within the next two years. But NASA debunks this theory, stating that the idea is entirely an Internet hoax, and had it been true, the approaching planet would currently be visible to the naked eye.

Whether it is a meteor, the polar shift theory, giant solar storms or planetary alignment suggesting 2012’s apocalypse, rest be assured that NASA has already proven all of these theories false.

“For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science?" says NASA, via its website. "Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.”

However, these predictions are not initial cause of 2012 doomsday fear in many individuals. Instead, writers Roland Emmerich and Harald Klosner took on the opportunity to create widespread fear when they wrote the movie 2012, which was released late last year.

The movie very quickly became a hit, and has remained popular, rising by six per cent in popularity this week, according to The Internet Movie Database.

The effect this movie had on teenagers was especially astounding. Prior to release, the idea of 2012 and the apocalypse spread like wildfire, and became a common topic in many high school conversations.

Teenagers soon began questioning whether or not they had futures, and whether there was hope.

The popular Facebook group entitled 'If the world ends in 2012, I’ve wasted my whole life in school… lovely', currently has 2.6 million members and continues to grow.

In an unscientific poll conducted through my website, 74 per cent of respondents agree that the media has overblown the idea of 2012. The good news is that while 2012 may have shook up people prior to and during the movie release, the fear has calmed down. Now, 73 per cent of respondents state that they are not afraid of 2012, while 14 per cent say they are in fear.

“This being a topic at all has me worried about the human race in general," write an anonymous respondent. "We are given a massive resource (the Internet) and no one even takes advantage of it and realizes that this whole thing is (false).”

Maybe the point is that you never really know when your world will end. People should never give up, regardless of how much time you believe you may have. Or maybe, the point is that there is no scientific evidence to prove the end of the world. So what are people basing their beliefs on? People cannot believe everything they hear, because who knows who made it up.

The world has been around for over four billion years, and is looking forward to many more.