In-depth reporting on the world of social media.
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Fighters from dissident armed groups in Colombia are using TikTok to glorify their lives as guerrillas and recruit youngsters. These armed groups didn't like the terms of a peace treaty negotiated between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government in 2016, and they kept fighting against the Colombian government. These groups make their money from illegal businesses. Their videos have struck a chord with teens, particularly in rural areas like the Cauca region in west Co...
Jusper Machogu is a farmer from southwestern Kenya who describes himself as a “climate sceptic”: he wrongly claims that climate change is a “scam” or a “hoax” designed to hold Africa back. On social media, he has also become known as a staunch defender of fossil fuel exploration in Africa. His views have caught the eye of those in the West who, like him, deny the overwhelming scientific consensus on global warming. They have helped him grow his following and spread his message globally. But, in ...
Farmers' protests have been erupting across Europe, and on February 20th one image from a protest in Poland went viral. It showed a tractor carrying a soviet flag and bearing a slogan calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to ‘bring order to Ukraine, Brussels and our rulers.’ The man driving the tractor was arrested and is currently awaiting trial. After the image was released Poland’s foreign ministry spokesperson released a statement warning of attempts to take over the country’s agricult...
In a viral thread posted on X in January this year, a 23-year-old Russian man claims he used ChatGPT to filter through and chat thousands of women on Tinder, eventually proposing to one that was selected by the algorithm. The scale and success of his experiment sparked scepticism. Some raised doubts about the technical plausibility of it, while others voiced concerns about the ethical implications of such an endeavour. In an attempt to better understand his experiment, BBC Trending interviewed t...
Long Covid can ruin lives, and scientists are striving to understand the condition and beginning to get some early clues about possible treatments. While there are still more questions than answers, though, many have turned online for help. But could what they find there sometimes do more harm than good? Rachel Schraer goes undercover to investigate the Lightning Process, a controversial treatment programme being promoted online for Long Covid. Reporter: Rachel Schraer Producer: Paul Grant Edito...
In 2024 yet another Kennedy is making a bid for the White House. Robert F Kennedy Jr - nephew of the late President John F Kennedy - is enjoying strong polling numbers for an independent candidate. He’s running on a platform of promising to take on powerful vested interests to create a better life for the average American. But away from his Camelot-infused stump speeches, he is facing questions about his long and controversial record of spreading misinformation about the safety of vaccines. In t...
In 2011, Tunisians took to the streets against the ruling authoritarian regime. Catalysed by social media, the protests would reverberate around the world, spark the Arab Spring and lead to significant democratic reforms in the country. More recently, Tunisia’s democracy has reached a turning point. In 2021, as public frustration with the pandemic and the failing economy grew, the Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked the prime minister, suspended parliament and pushed through constitutional refo...
In Malaysian Borneo, indigenous people have struggled for land rights against companies and the state. Using new mapping technology, communities in Borneo’s rainforests are racing to prove their claims. In this episode of Trending we’ll be exploring how technology and social media are being used and misused to shift the balance of power. Reporter: Jacqui Wakefield Producer: Olivia Lang Editor: Flora Carmichael
Marianna Spring talks to a survivor of the mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017 about how posts on a social media account made him question an event he’d witnessed with his own eyes. Presenter: Marianna Spring Producers: Ben Carter and Emma Close Editor: Flora Carmichael Sound Engineer: Tom Brignell
"A flood of disinformation has erupted across social media in the online propaganda battle that’s being waged alongside the physical conflict between Israel and Hamas. Everything from video game clips falsely presented as genuine combat footage, to the outright denial of civilian deaths, have been deployed to try to skew the online narrative and warp public perceptions. BBC Verify’s Olga Robinson and Shayan Sardarizadeh examine the trends in this alternative war over the Middle East with the hel...
When an audio recording alleged to be from the Mayor of one of the world's largest cities started circulating online, reality was called into question. Mexico City's mayor, claimed the clip- which sounded like he was discussing a campaign against a political candidate- was AI generated. Others are convinced the audio is real. In this episode of Trending’s Power season, Jack Goodman and Laura García go on the hunt for answers. Using the latest AI detection tools, they explore the possibilities an...
A BBC investigation has uncovered a network of fake social media accounts seemingly working together to promote the Ugandan government and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. Online, an information battle appears to be going on – one being waged by hundreds of social media accounts set on pushing narratives in line with those of the Ugandan government. As part of a coordinated campaign, they have been artificially inflating support for EACOP online and viciously targeting those that oppose the ...
Over the summer, a mysterious Twitter persona published details of over 14,500 social media accounts - all of them controlled by real-life Serbian citizens, it's claimed. They stand accused of posting… whatever the President’s party tells them to. It’s long been rumoured that Serbia’s ruling SNS party commands the online activity of a small army of citizens, dubbed ‘bots’ by the opposition. But this kind of list, naming and shaming thousands of ordinary Serbians, is unprecedented. If true, their...
People smugglers are selling illegal routes out of Pakistan to Europe on social media. We’ve gone undercover with BBC Newsnight and BBC Urdu to expose how smugglers are luring potential migrants into taking dangerous voyages. They advertise online… in plain sight. Promising people safe passage to Europe. Presenter: Reha Kansara Producers: Samrah Fatima, Jasmin Dyer and Jonathan Griffin Editor: Flora Carmichael
Earlier in October, Australia took to the polls in a referendum and rejected the establishment of an indigenous advisory body in the constitution - the Voice. Beyond the typical controversies, social media became flooded with false information. In this episode of Trending, we’ll delve into how online conspiracy groups garnered support for their extreme theories to oppose the Voice, and gained unlikely allies along the way. Presenter: Beth Godwin Reporter: Jacqui Wakefield Producers: Jacqui Wakef...
A life coaching group has been accused of trolling former members. Lighthouse International Group promises to help people realise their dreams and ambitions, but the reality is more sinister. Lighthouse obsessively records and stores mentoring sessions and group calls. But when people ask questions or try to leave, that’s when the trouble really starts. BBC Trending's series Trolled lifts the lid on online abuse and trolling on and off social media. Presenter: Catrin Nye Producer: Ed Main Editor...
Mike Wendling and Maxine Hughes explore how extreme conspiracies and right wing rhetoric went mainstream in America. From the Proud Boys' Enrique Tarrio, to far right militias and Antifa, we hear from individuals on the extremes of American politics about what they believe and why, and explore what part social media has played in the radicalisation of parts of American society. Presenter: Mike Wendling Reporter: Maxine Hughes Producer: Kayleen Devlin Editor: Flora Carmichael
Videos taken across India are going viral on social media. They show hordes of men harassing and even attacking young couples in the street. The clips are accompanied by a hashtag #BhagwaLoveTrap - and have been inspired by an inflammatory narrative. The theory suggests Hindu men are trying to seduce Muslim women and lure them away from their communities - but there’s scant evidence to support the idea. Shruti Menon meets the Muslim activists pushing the idea of a ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’, and asks wh...
TikTok started as an app for posting lip syncs and dance videos, but quickly developed into a platform where users can follow along world events, criminal investigations and social unrest in real time. From frenzied speculation over true crime to vandalism and protests at schools, TikTok seems to be connected to harmful behaviour offline as the app draws in billions of eyeballs and spawns all kinds of content out at scale and speed. According to several company insiders, TikTok’s drive towards p...
You may have heard about how young men are being drawn into the so-called ‘manosphere’ but how can they escape? Can subreddits such as #IncelExit help men who are involuntarily celibate to put their disturbing views to one side and foster more healthy perspectives about women and dating? We hear from former manosphere subscribers around the world who have found comfort in opening up and addressing their issues in relatively empathetic Reddit forums. Academic Josh Thorburn from Monash University ...
Conspiracy theories about viruses and vaccines have exploded in recent years. At the same time, something arguably stranger has spiralled…groups online who don’t believe germs which cause disease exist at all. They believe that there’s no such thing as viruses and that all diseases are caused by living an unhealthy life, particularly our diet and environmental toxins. It goes hand in hand with a rejection of vaccines and other forms of conventional medicine. The BBC's health and disinformation r...
In a gruesome new trend, TikTok has been flooded with videos in which AI-generated versions of real life child murder victims tell the stories of how they were killed. The mother of child murder victim James Bulger and other grieving parents have expressed their disgust that their loved ones digital versions of their loved ones have been created and posted online without their consent. In the first episode of “Extreme”, a new series from BBC Trending, Ed Main investigates this phenomenon. More t...
Earlier this year videos made using artificial intelligence caused a stir in Venezuela. Many Venezuelans would have thought they were real news reports but a Spanish newspaper exposed them as deepfakes and linked them to a pro-government agenda. The journalist who exposed the fakes was immediately targeted and the Venezuelan government went into damage control, responding on Twitter with the hashtag #SomosInteligenciaSocial – 'We Are Social Intelligence', seemingly to drown out criticism. But wh...
Jiayang Fan was targeted by trolls while her mother was dying, and again when they learned of her death. The New Yorker writer is one of several high profile journalists who’ve been systematically targeted with online abuse. The victims are all women of Chinese descent, now living in the West. And according to one group of researchers, the perpetrators are mostly bots, and may be the creation of a powerful political force. Experts believe the campaign could be part of a broader push by the Chine...
A life coaching group has been accused of trolling former members. Lighthouse International Group promises to help people realise their dreams and ambitions, but the reality is more sinister. Lighthouse obsessively records and stores mentoring sessions and group calls. But when people ask questions or try to leave, that’s when the trouble really starts. BBC Trending's series Trolled lifts the lid on online abuse and trolling on and off social media. Presenter: Catrin Nye Producer: Ed Main Editor...
Since the Covid vaccines were rolled out, a trend has sprung up – of accounts online linking virtually any death or illness, of a celebrity, athlete or ordinary person, to the shots without any evidence. A conspiracy theory film called Died Suddenly released last year appears to have supercharged this practice- termed “ghouling”. BBC Trending investigates how far the Died Suddenly film has spread and what its impact has been – on the people who believe its message, and on bereaved families being...
In one of the dirtiest electoral campaigns in Brazil's history, figures on the left and right of the political spectrum trolled their opponents with jokes, ridicule and disinformation rocking the country's young democracy. We speak to both sides including a Congressman whose series of ambiguous or misleading posts on Twitter got millions of views and an Argentine political consultant whose false claims about voter fraud went viral, playing a key role in the movement that led to widespread nation...
Climate-denying trolls, beware: a group of internet vigilantes is coming for you. They call themselves “Team Ninja Trollhunters”: a ragtag group of activists from around the globe, who have vowed to fight those spreading climate change misinformation on Twitter. The group claims to have succeeded in getting hundreds of users booted off the platform, but their methods aren’t without controversy. As a ferocious information war rages on online, are these vigilantes at risk of behaving like the very...
Burmese women have been at the forefront of the resistance against the military junta ever since Myanmar lurched back into a dictatorship in 2021. Online, female activists and politicians have been fighting for their rights, gathering intel and strategizing - hoping that one day Myanmar will return to democracy. But these women have also been on the receiving end of targeted online attacks which have leaked into the offline world. So who is behind these strategic hate campaigns and why are they ...
