Top Comment Podcast
Investigating what's blowing up online, and decoding your feed.
The story behind your social media feed, from 麻豆社 correspondent Marianna Spring and investigative journalist Matt Shea.
Top Comment investigates what's blowing up online. From global events that go viral across social media, to bizarre moments that spill into real life, Marianna and Matt unpack the trends, theories and digital chaos shaping our world.
If you want to get in touch about something you saw when scrolling, our email address is topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
You can also hear Marianna's previous series for the 麻豆社 in this feed, including Marianna in Conspiracyland, Why Do You Hate Me?, Disaster Trolls, Death by Conspiracy? and War on Truth.
Episodes to download
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Introducing... Disaster Trolls—Disaster Trolls
Mon 24 Oct 2022
What happens when tragedy makes you a target?
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10. Marianna: 'I get hate from all sides'—War on Truth
Mon 25 Apr 2022
How an Instagram influencer survived a bombing - and got caught in the information war.
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9. Roddy: 'We don鈥檛 trust the media, so we became it'—War on Truth
Mon 18 Apr 2022
How self-styled citizen journalists are covering the war in Ukraine.
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8. Tetyana: 鈥楳y son is the Snake Island hero鈥�—War on Truth
Mon 18 Apr 2022
How a story of sweary heroism wasn't quite what it seemed.
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7. Sergei: 鈥業t鈥檚 my duty to keep telling Russians the truth鈥�—War on Truth
Wed 13 Apr 2022
The Russian journalist who refused to stay silent after the Kremlin took him off air.
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6. The View from the Other Side—War on Truth
Tue 5 Apr 2022
Russia spun a web of lies around her photo, but now she鈥檚 resurfaced to tell her story.
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5. Rob: 鈥楥ovid was a hoax, and so is the war鈥�—War on Truth
Tue 29 Mar 2022
They didn鈥檛 believe Covid was real - and now they think the war in Ukraine is staged.
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4. One Baby, Three Photos, and a Web of Lies—War on Truth
Thu 24 Mar 2022
A pregnant woman injured in the bombing of a maternity hospital was attacked again online.
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3. Masha: The Influencer Who is a Secret Weapon—War on Truth
Fri 18 Mar 2022
How a Eurovision host and other stars are helping Ukraine fight an information war.
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2. Maxim: Homeless and Trolled—War on Truth
Mon 14 Mar 2022
Maxim's home was destroyed, but he never expected to be called a liar.
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1. Kristina: 鈥楳y cousin thinks we鈥檙e bombing ourselves鈥�—War on Truth
Mon 14 Mar 2022
What do you do when your relative refuses to believe her country is attacking yours?
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Introducing... War on Truth—War on Truth
Fri 11 Mar 2022
What鈥檚 fake, what鈥檚 real? Stories from the information war over Ukraine.
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10. Light and Dark—Death by Conspiracy?
Mon 21 Feb 2022
What does the story of Gary Matthews tell us about the world now?
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9. The Conspiracist Mindset—Death by Conspiracy?
Mon 21 Feb 2022
Debunking stereotypes about those who fall for conspiracy theories.
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8. Tracking the Timeline—Death by Conspiracy?
Mon 21 Feb 2022
What did Gary鈥檚 online life look like?
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6. Tristan's Quest—Death by Conspiracy?
Mon 21 Feb 2022
Seeking to understand what happened, Gary鈥檚 cousin returns to Shrewsbury.
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5. Reflections in the Glass—Death by Conspiracy?
Mon 21 Feb 2022
After Gary鈥檚 death, the information battle heats up.
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4. Charlie—Death by Conspiracy?
Mon 21 Feb 2022
Marianna meets the man who ran the Facebook group Gary was in before he died.
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2. Fleeing a Virus—Death by Conspiracy?
Mon 21 Feb 2022
How did Gary get pulled towards conspiracies?
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Introducing... Death by Conspiracy?—Death by Conspiracy?
Mon 14 Feb 2022
Gary Matthews was drawn to conspiracies about Covid - until he caught the virus, and died.
