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When newly-elected Green Party MP Hannah Spencer gave her maiden speech on International Women's Day, she was subject to a torrent of online abuse targeting her appearance, with one user on X prompting Grok to "smarten up" her look. The chatbot continues to be flooded with similar requests, despite a crackdown by the platform on 'undressing' content earlier this year. Marianna and Matt discuss how AI is supercharging misogyny online, and hear from Hannah Spencer about her experience.Also on this episode, apparently it's a bad week to be a boomer (unless you're Kris Jenner). We chat...

After a California jury found Meta and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction case, we explain why the platforms you use may soon be unrecognisable. Plus - an exclusive interview with an expert witness from the trial, the world-leading addiction psychiatrist Anna Lembke, about how tech companies used persuasive design techniques found in gambling to keep us hooked online. Also on this episode, after Instagram and OnlyFans removed the accounts of the so-called 'Maga dream girl', Matt and Marianna discuss the world of AI influencers. As an increasing number of virtual creators amass millions of fo...

How has an algorithmic arms race created an environment where controversial and incendiary content is routinely amplified on our feeds? On this episode, Marianna discusses her latest investigation, which provides a paper trail showing how social media giants ignored internal warnings about the design of their platforms. She's heard from whistleblowers about problematic moderation practices, how companies deal with so-called borderline content, and the troubling reality that algorithms may now be beyond our control. Also this week, we look at the website 'your ai slop bores me' which launched two weeks ago and is already claiming over...

Almost six weeks since the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie (the 84-year-old mother of Today show host, Savannah Guthrie) the case which has shocked America remains unsolved. It's also led to a host of online amateur sleuths broadcasting their own investigations to a mass audience on TikTok, with many descending on Guthrie's home in Tucson, Arizona. Marianna has reached out to some of the people posting to discuss their motives, the issue of misinformation and the risk of undermining an active investigation. And, as TikTok montages from the official account of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attract c...

A series of posts appearing to encourage violence between neighbouring UK schools has caused widespread moral panic, and prompted police forces to issue dispersal orders. But, with zero incidents reported, could the 'red vs blue' phenomenon be a phantom trend? Matt and Marianna discuss the knowledge gap between parents and younger people on social media, and how online frenzies can have dangerous real-world consequences.Also, has Iran's retaliation to days of US-Israeli strikes exposed the reality of Dubai's flourishing influencer economy? As people in the UAE shelter from the threat of drones, content creators have been warned...

Over the past year, prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket have exploded in popularity, as users bet on everything from battles in Ukraine to sex toys being thrown at sports games. So with concerns over both regulation and the prevalence of insider information inviting intense scrutiny, Matt has been examining how these platforms really work.Also on this episode, is the recent rise in measles cases in London down to disinformation? With several proponents of vaccine scepticism being welcomed back to social media, Marianna explains how these often discredited accounts are being amplified online.And...

If your feed has been flooded with content about the 'dangers' of western cities like London or San Francisco, you're not alone - it's part of a growing phenomenon known as decline porn, and it's driving narratives of political neglect and uncontrolled immigration.On this episode, Marianna examines a niche take on this trend - AI videos which falsely portray zoos and waterparks in Croydon. She tracks down the original creator of these posts, and explains why they might not be as innocent as they seem.Also, Matt has been investigating Clavicular - the internet's...

In this brand new weekly show, BBC correspondent Marianna Spring and investigative journalist Matt Shea talk through the stories behind your social media feed. From global events that go viral, to bizarre moments that spill into real life, Marianna and Matt unpack the trends, theories and digital chaos shaping our world.

Can Coroners' courts cope with conspiracy? It’s been more than a year since Paloma Shemirani died after rejecting chemotherapy in favour of alternative methods. Her brother Gabriel blames the beliefs of their mum Kate - who is a prominent British conspiracy theorist - for his sister’s death. This summer, he’s found himself face to face with his mum for the first time since Paloma died at an inquest into how and why she lost her life. After investigating - and revealing - what happened to Paloma for the first time almost four months ago, the BB...

Can people fight back against medical misinformation? In the months after Paloma’s death, her brothers say they want to prevent other deaths, and they believe social media companies should take stronger action against medical misinformation. Meanwhile her Mum, Kate Shemirani, takes to social media to share a different account of her death. She has promoted a range of unproven theories on social media and podcasts about how Paloma was murdered by medical staff. The BBC has not seen evidence to support this. The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring interrogates whether and how some politicians and soci...

Are we equipped to deal with a rising tide of misinformation? The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring investigates how safeguarding procedures work and how social services and hospitals are trying to deal with the mainstreaming of medical misinformation. She speaks to a social worker who says it’s time for the law to be reviewed in England and finds out more about what happened to Paloma in the months after she left hospital. Were there missed opportunities to help her?Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Story Editor: Matt Willis Sound Engineer: Tony Churnside Prod...

What are cancer patients seeing on social media? The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring goes down the cancer conspiracy rabbit hole to find out. She returns to the days Paloma spent in hospital after her cancer diagnosis to analyse the advice Paloma was being given by medical staff versus the advice she was receiving from alternative practioners and her Mum, Kate Shemirani. Marianna investigates Paloma’s mum’s platform as a conspiracy theory influencer and looks at the wider role some social media sites are playing in turbocharging accounts that promote health misinformation. Plus, she speaks to the...

Could the answer lie in the past? The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent, Marianna Spring, continues investigating what happened to Paloma Shemirani. She speaks to Paloma’s brothers to see if the answers could lie in the house they grew up in. Who is Paloma’s mum - prominent British conspiracy theorist influencer Kate Shemirani - and how did her beliefs evolve and impact Paloma and her siblings? Could her mum’s conspiracy theory views have influenced Paloma’s decision to reject chemotherapy?Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Story Editor: Matt Willis Sound Designer: Tony Churnside ...

What happened to Paloma? Aged 22, Paloma Shemirani has her whole life ahead of her. She’s recently graduated, moved into a flat and found a job. But just days before Christmas in 2023 she receives bad news, she has cancer - an aggressive but treatable form of Lymphoma. Despite a good prognosis, Paloma decides - at least initially - to reject chemotherapy. The BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring investigates what happened and what this tells us about the mainstreaming of anti-medicine ideas. Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Story Editor: Matt Willis Sound Designer: Tony Chur...

From starting Bad Boy Records in 1993 and signing the Notorious BIG, to becoming a billionaire business mogul, through to the recent federal charges. Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty traces Diddy’s history with Rolling Stone Senior Investigative Reporter Cheyenne Roundtree. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently behind bars in a notorious New York jail, awaiting trial on three federal charges, which he denies. Diddy on Trial is here to investigate the rumours, confront the theories, and give you the answers that you need. We also want YOU to be part of the conversation. Have you any burning questions about the cases or the...

In this bonus episode, the Americast team gets together for an election inquest to examine what went right and wrong. Is Joe Biden to blame for Harris’ loss? Or did something else cause the VP to underperform with the voters she needed to win? Was Trump’s straight-forward messaging a winning strategy? Or has there been a fundamental shift among American voters that goes beyond politics?

In Why Do You Hate Me? USA, BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring is investigating how what’s happening online can shape the 2024 presidential election. In this episode, Marianna goes deep inside the world of a particular kind of social media tribe: the fandom. These groups revolve around the love for celebrities from pop stars like Taylor Swift to billionaire Elon Musk. And now political activists are operating a bit like fandoms to boost the chances of their favourite candidate. So could the social media tactics used by mega fans change the minds of voters in the up...

Few topics have caused as much division online as the deepening war in the Middle East. In this episode, Marianna is in New York investigating the experiences of students targeted on social media. They have been affected by doxxing – where their personal information is shared online triggering racist and misogynistic hate – by people wanting to make a wider political argument. The abuse that they have received has impacted each of their views in different but significant ways and potentially influenced their vote in the US presidential election. Marianna tracks down some of their trolls and confronts one of them.<p...

A headteacher at a school in small American suburb of Baltimore was a prominent member of the local community. But many in the neighbourhood turned on Principal Eric Eiswert, after an audio clip emerged of him appearing to make racist and antisemitic remarks. Except, what no one knew then was that another bombshell would transform what they thought of the headteacher – and of themselves. In this episode of Why Do You Hate Me? USA, Marianna investigates the network of posts and people that can make it so hard to know what’s really going on, even down the street. She...

What are the real-world consequences of the belief that almost anything and everything can be staged or rigged – from assassination attempts to elections? In Why Do You Hate Me? USA, BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring is investigating how what’s happening online can shape the 2024 presidential election. In this episode, Marianna continues her journey through Colorado to hear about what happens when some people no longer trust systems and institutions – and then send hate to the people they see complicit in unproven plots and conspiracies. She meets the election workers who feared for their safety after Donald...