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Top Comment: Daily Summaries Delivered
by BBC
Discover what's behind the content flooding your feed. Top Comment is a brand new BBC podcast which sheds light on the darkest corners of the internet. Every week, Matt and Marianna unpack a range of viral topics from controversial influencers and the clipping economy, to murky crypto operations, prediction markets, and even information warfare. Follow us inside the algorithm as we expose the inner workings of the most popular platforms, and explain how tech giants are shaping the way we see the world.
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- 6 days ago38 min
How porn sites soft-launched the attention economy
With the advent of OnlyFans, pornographic content has become a fixture of mainstream social media. But the influence of the adult entertainment industry on internet culture arguably began decades ago. On this episode, Matt and Marianna are joined by journalist Patricia Nilsson who has reported extensively on the secretive personalities who control 'Big Porn' and the business model behind it. We discuss the revolutionary data tracking practices first implemented by so-called tube sites to monetise attention, the regulatory trade-off between safety and privacy, and why anonymity online may be leading to more extreme pornography fuelled by our most primal instincts.Plus - the feline answer to Pokémon Go.Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The assistant producer is Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Robin Schroder. The editor is Justine Lang. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.Patricia's new book, Guilty Pleasure: The Pornification of the Internet, the Economy, and Everything Else, is out now: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/462785/guilty-pleasure-by-nilsson-patricia/9780241711293If you want to get in touch about something that's popped up on your feed, our email address is topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
- 1 weeks ago35 min
Are platforms promoting death on demand?
Why are we seeing more death on our feeds? From footage of an Ecuadorean priest being killed by a crucifix, to the man who was attacked by a tiger on camera, snuff content appears to be making a comeback. On this episode, Marianna and Matt examine how various platforms' responses to so-called trauma porn have evolved since an initial tightening of restrictions following the livestreamed Christchurch shootings in 2019.Also this week, Meta has been forced to explain the deactivation of an activist Instagram account by pointing the finger at its auto-moderation systems. The company was responding to anger from No Kings protest organisers, who cited their official profile going dark as evidence of censorship and political interference. We dissect Meta's defence, and consider the broader implications of AI-led moderation becoming more widespread.Plus - is France actually fake?Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The assistant producer is Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Ben Andrews. 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 topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
- 2 weeks ago35 min
AI influencers are invading our feeds
From shadowboxing Parisians to chihuahuas fronting rap videos, the acceleration in generative AI capability is now impossible to miss on our feeds. On this episode, Matt and Marianna explain how new software allows users to 'reskin' video content to make anyone say or do literally anything they like. They discuss the resulting shift from realism to absurdism online, the existential threat to any type of IP ownership, and why independent creators inevitably suffer the most.Also this week, after Ukraine hit several Yandex data centres inside Russia, viral posts began circulating suggesting there had been a noticeable reduction in social media activity by Russian bots. This narrative was fuelled by multiple high-profile accounts, and even echoed by President Zelensky - only it wasn't true. After experts debunked the claims, Top Comment dissects why this 'misinfo on misinfo' was able to flourish, from circumstantial evidence to Bluesky echo-chambers.Plus - Kelly Clarkson is in hot water after leaving a bad review, and the YouTube prankster who was tricked into an online gag order.Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The assistant producer is Sophie Millward. The social producer was Richard Kenny. The technical producer was Stephen Bailey. 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 topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
- 3 weeks ago43 min
Frances Haugen: exposing Facebook five years on
As The Social Reckoning hits cinemas, the whistleblower who inspired the movie joins Top Comment to discuss what's changed since she leaked tens of thousands of internal Facebook documents in 2021. Considered by many to be the primary catalyst for much of the legislation and litigation currently targeting social media giants, Frances Haugen's revelations have nonetheless been followed by an apparent acceleration by those same companies in pursuit of maximum engagement. On this episode, Frances talks about tech accountability in the age of AI, the increasingly punitive measures being taken against others who decide to speak out, and what she really thinks of Mark Zuckerberg. Meta has consistently disputed Frances Haugen's characterisation of its policy, culture and safety procedures.Plus - fresh from attending the press screening, Matt and Marianna give their thoughts on the film.Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The assistant producer is Sophie Millward. The technical producers were Ben Andrews and Dafydd Evans. 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 topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
- Oct 2, 202639 min
How the 'Cornell 7' rape case became a call to action
An alleged case of gang rape at a Cornell frat house has caused widespread outrage after new details emerged in a civil suit brought by the purported victim. Evidence including a Snapchat screenshot advertising a "free" sexual encounter has seen anger online directed not only towards those men accused of being involved, but others who apparently failed to step in. As a criminal investigation is reopened, Marianna and Matt explain how this case has taken over social media, from scathing critiques of campus culture and opaque accountability measures, to doxxing, misidentification and censorship. The university's leadership has denied its response was inadequate.Also this week, we discuss arguably the most viral story of the year - the fallout at a covid-conscious lesbian bar in western Massachusetts. After the struggling Last Ditch decided to suspend their mask mandate on Saturday nights, they were met with a torrent of abuse calling them ableist and even eugenicist. Top Comment takes you through the chaotic conversations which followed, and we consider whether AOC spoke too soon when she famously closed the book on Woke 1.0 identity politics.Plus - what RAF Fairford tells us about neighbourhood WhatsApp groups, and how Vini Jr became the latest celeb to find himself at the centre of a body-double conspiracy.Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The assistant producer is Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. 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 topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
- Sep 25, 202634 min
Has Hunter Biden fumbled the bag?
After years spent sheltering from the public gaze, Hunter Biden re-entered the mainstream consciousness last summer via a surprise YouTube appearance alongside prominent alternative media figure Andrew Callaghan. The interview went viral, and ever since the embattled son of former president Joe Biden has seen his online reputation soar. On this episode, Matt and Marianna track Biden Jr's journey from ridicule to redemption, and ask whether he has fumbled that newly found following with a dubious crypto enterprise, an all-too-familiar fall from grace in the age of the internet.Also this week, actor Channing Tatum has denied he is behind an Instagram 'burner' account which was critical of his ex-partners, despite being its only follower. Sleuths had discovered comments across several posts which appeared to support him while calling out Jenna Dewan, Zoe Kravitz and others. We discuss the broader phenomenon of anonymous celeb-run accounts, examples of identities being uncovered, and the psychology of lurking online. Plus - Clavicular says he will fight rape charges filed in Massachusetts.Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The assistant producer is Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. 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 topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
- Sep 18, 202631 min
Why deepfake wizards went underground
Sexualised deepfakes by commission - until administrators shut down a popular request forum earlier this year, self-styled 'wizards' were offering this service at scale via the imageboard site 4chan. The domain's closure followed new legislation in multiple countries targeting the creation of what are known as 'non-consensual illicit images'. But despite tighter on-platform regulation of chatbots (most notably X's Grok) this type of content continues to circulate via decentralised sites and private chatrooms. On this episode, Marianna describes how it felt to discover artificially 'nudified' images of herself, and considers what it tells us about the misogynistic ideology which underpins large parts of the internet.Also this week, Matt has been looking into Afghanistan's answer to affiliate partnerships. Western influencers are being welcomed into the country by so-called 'Talibros', as they attempt to alter its international reputation. We explore how the Taliban's apparent embrace of manosphere-adjacent audiences has paved the way for blatant human rights violations against women to be portrayed as the preservation of traditional values.Plus - AI whistleblowers, and not Sydney Sweeney.Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The assistant producer is Sophie Millward. The social producer was Beth Pritchard. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. 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 topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
- Sep 11, 202629 min
How Charlie Kirk achieved internet immortality
A year since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, social media users are marking what has controversially become known as the 'Kirkiversary'. Far from the enduring political legacy many predicted, he has rather been immortalised as an icon of the internet, his image utterly ubiquitous in meme culture. On this episode, Marianna and Matt discuss how Kirk's life and death paved the way for an online resurrection few could have anticipated.Plus - Tommy Robinson's latest diss track, and Sneako has been in touch!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 Philip Bull. 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 topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
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About Top Comment
Discover what's behind the content flooding your feed. Top Comment is a brand new BBC podcast which sheds light on the darkest corners of the internet. Every week, Matt and Marianna unpack a range of viral topics from controversial influencers and the clipping economy, to murky crypto operations, prediction markets, and even information warfare. Follow us inside the algorithm as we expose the inner workings of the most popular platforms, and explain how tech giants are shaping the way we see the world.
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