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, as the viral story of Punch the monkey and his orangutan companion drives mass sales of an Ikea soft toy, we consider how brands are increasingly looking to profit from organic content through 'trendjacking'.

Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The social producer is Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Jonathan Greer. The editor is Justine Lang. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

If you want to get in touch about something that's popped up on your feed, our email address is [email protected] or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

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 man of the moment. After signing up to his 'looksmaxxing' course, we discuss the controversial relationships propping up his virality, and what the mainstream media is getting wrong about the streaming sensation. 

Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The social producer is Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Gareth Jones. The editor is Justine Lang. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. The commissioning producer is Nathan Jones. The commissioning editor is Rhian Roberts.

If you want to get in touch about something that's popped up on your feed, our email address is [email protected] or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.

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 BBC’s social media investigations correspondent Marianna Spring is back following the twists and turns of an inquest that has felt like Conspiracyland colliding with the real world. In the coroner’s court she see’s medics questioned by conspiracy theorists and tense family feuds unfolding in real-time. Could Paloma have been saved? And can society handle Conspiracyland?

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 social media companies are emboldening anti-medicine conspiracy theorists, and speaks to a former cancer surgeon and patient trying to bust cancer myths online.

Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Sound Engineer: Tony Churnside Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts

This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama.

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 Production Coordinator: Maria Ogundele Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama. Watch Cancer Conspiracy Theories on iPlayer now.

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 Vice President of Royal College of Radiologists to understand how harmful content on social media is affecting patients.

Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Anna Harris Sound Engineer: Tony Churnside Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts

This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama.

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 Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama. Watch Cancer Conspiracy Theories on iPlayer now.

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 Churnside Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning producer: Nathan Jones Commissioning editor: Rhian Roberts

This was a BBC collaboration with Panorama.

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 upcoming election? And can the dedication fandoms inspire exist without trolling and hate? Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Daniel Wittenberg Story Editor: Matt Willis Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Sound Designer: Tony Churnside Production Co-ordiantor: Katie Morrison

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.

Host: Marianna Spring Producer: Daniel Wittenberg Story Editor: Matt Willis Editor: Sam Bonham Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Sound Design: Tony Churnside Production Co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge