Trending

Latest Episodes:

How scammers took advantage of #BlueForSudan Jun 28, 2019

Show notes

After a Sudanese protester was killed, there was a wave of sympathy on social media – but scammers took advantage. In early June, 26-year-old activist Mohamed Mattar was shot and killed in Khartoum. He was one of 100 protesters who died in a government crackdown on a sit-in. Blue was his favourite colour, and at the time of his death, the avatar on his social media pages displayed a deep shade similar to the colour of the ocean. Some of Mohamed’s friends and family changed their avatars to the same colour that he used. Within days, a worldwide movement had started: #BlueForSudan. But along with the authentic outpouring of support came scammers who used the trend to harvest likes, shares and followers. So how did “sympathy scammers” exploit the crisis for their own benefit? We speak to the teenage boy who took them on.

Presenters: Jonathan Griffin and Reha Kansara

(Photo caption: Some of the fake accounts / Photo credit: Instagram)

The man who kick-started the Egyptian revolution Jun 21, 2019

Show notes

It was a moment that defined online activism. When tens of thousands of people came out to Cairo’s Tahrir Square to demand the end of the rule of Hosni Mubarak in January 2011, they weren’t responding to a political party or a leafleting campaign – but instead to a Facebook page.

It was called “We are all Khaled Said” - in honour of a 28-year-old man who was tortured to death by Egyptian police. It was the moment when the world woke up to the true political power of social media.

Wael Ghonim was one of the founders of that Facebook page - but the revolution did not go according to plan. The Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi was elected president, and was then overthrown by the army. He recently died while on trial.

A wave of terror attacks, a shaky security situation, a faltering economy, and increasing political repression have rocked Egypt.

Earlier this year, Trending visited Wael Ghonim in one of his favourite cafes in San Francisco to talk about technology, politics, and revolution. Have the events in Egypt changed his perspective on technology and politics?

Presenter: Mike Wendling

(Photo Caption: Wael Ghonim / Photo Credit: BBC)

The 23-year-old fixing the world of online debate Jun 14, 2019

Show notes

Online debate is broken – full of angry shouting and mindless agreement. And that’s even before you get to the trolls, lies, misinformation, and fake news.

This week we visit Inverness, in the Highlands of Scotland, to meet a man with a plan to fix this problem.

Six years ago, when he was a curious, guitar-playing student, Kal Turnbull started a subreddit – a section of the website Reddit - called Change My View. He encouraged people to post their opinions and invite other users to politely argue against them.

It took off, and now has more than 700,000 subscribers. And now Kal wants to take the idea beyond Reddit, with a new website – ChangeAView.com – which just launched.

We stroll around a very damp Inverness to find out more about his new business, ask Kal about some of the criticisms that have been levelled at it, and look at how online debate became so unhealthy.

Presenters: Jonathan Griffin and Mike Wendling

(Photo Caption: Kal Turnbull on the banks of the River Ness / Photo credit: BBC)

The volunteers fighting hate on Facebook Jun 07, 2019

Show notes

Nina spends three hours a day on Facebook – not sharing selfies or catching up on news, but trying to make the network a nicer place.

She’s a German member of a large and growing international movement called #IAmHere. Started in Sweden in 2016, tens of thousands of volunteers in more than a dozen countries organise in closed Facebook groups.

They target popular posts, often from mainstream news organisations, which get overrun by extremism, violent threats and hate speech. Their goal is to inject balance into the conversation with facts and more moderate views.

There’s some evidence to indicate that their efforts are starting to have an impact. We’ve been in around Europe visiting #IAmHere’s founder, Swedish journalist Mina Dennert, and several members from the German group – fittingly called #IchBinHier.

We find out how they operate – and what motivates people like Nina to spend so much time trying to chip away at such an enormous issue.

Presenter: Reha Kansara Reporter: Jessica Bateman

Photo: German #IAmHere volunteer Nina Photo credit: BBC

When threatening private messages go public May 31, 2019

Show notes

They were meant to be private, and the people posting them considered them “jokes”. But when female students at the University of Warwick found out about hundreds of violent and obscene messages – some of them directly naming themselves and their friends - they were horrified and scared. We heard from the women who were named in the group chat, and who alleged that a later university investigation fell short of their expectations. The messages came from closed social media groups – and it was a social media campaign which led to a public outcry which changed the direction of the case.

Presenter: Jonathan Griffin Reporter: Larissa Kennelly

Photo caption: Hands holding a mobile phone / Photo credit: BBC

How YouTube decides what you should watch May 24, 2019

Show notes

Why are there so many conspiracy videos on YouTube? The company has clamped down on extremist and dangerous content, but conspiracies, outright fakes, and hoaxes are still very easy to find. Sometimes they’re only watched by a few people, but often these videos go viral. The reason why they so often pop up on your screen, says former Google employee Guillaume Chaslot, is YouTube’s algorithm. Chaslot was one of the engineers who helped shape the YouTube recommendation engine, the mechanism that determines which videos the site suggests you watch next. He was sacked in 2013, and since then he has become a critic of the company. He now says that YouTube’s obsession with keeping people watching has turned the platform into an incubator for false, incendiary, and sensationalist content – and this, in turn, is having a very real impact on the world we live in. Presenter: Marco Silva

Photo caption: YouTube logo on a smartphone Photo credit: Getty Images

Is Russia trying to sway the European elections? May 17, 2019

Show notes

Officials in Brussels are worried. With the elections for the European Parliament rapidly approaching, they say Russia is using disinformation and fake news to sow discord and to undermine people's trust in the European Union.

Moscow flatly denies such accusations. But EU officials say Russian disinformation could help anti-EU parties and movements. And, if you were to believe the polls, populist and Eurosceptic parties are indeed likely to increase their number of seats.

While the EU talks of a threat that can’t be ignored, others argue that European governments are missing the point: it's not foreign threats they should be tackling, but rather issues such as economic uncertainty, worries over immigration and discontent with traditional politics.

So, how seriously should we be taking the EU's warnings?

Presenter: Mike Wendling Reporter: Marco Silva

(Photo caption: Mural depicting a man chipping a star off of the European Union flag, by British graffiti artist Banksy / Photo credit: Getty Images)

What’s boosting the ‘Brazilian Butt Lift’? May 10, 2019

Show notes

It’s a dangerous cosmetic surgical procedure that’s all over social media. About one in every 3,000 women who undergo a Brazilian Butt Lift - or BBL - will die, but the stark statistics haven’t stopped its popularity. In the United States, for instance, the number of BBLs has doubled in just a few years.

Fuelling the trend are social media photos and influencers who show off their hourglass shapes – including big breasts, tiny waists, and a big bottom. It’s a particularly prized body type in some cultures and, in modern times, it’s been popularised by superstars like Kim Kardashian.

We follow Shami, a 23-year-old who’s considering having a BBL. Before she makes a decision, she speaks to social media influencers, her close friends, and medical professionals who help guide her through her choice. Will she – or won’t she?

Presenter: Anisa Subedar Reporter: Lola Mosanya

(Photo caption: artist’s impression of a Brazilian Butt Lift/ Photo credit: BBC)

How to survive the digital age May 03, 2019

Show notes

Where did it all go wrong? The liberating promise of the internet and social media has recently been swamped by worries about privacy, misinformation and online radicalisation.

Now that doubts about our digital technologies are all over the news, what should we do about it?

Author and podcaster Douglas Rushkoff wants a new fight against “anti-human” technologies. He says that many recent technological developments – including the rise of social media – have alienated and isolated us.

Rushkoff is not a Luddite – in fact he’s an enthusiastic early adopter and long-time chronicler of the digital world. But in his new book Team Human, and his podcast of the same name, he argues for a critical look at how technology is affecting our brains and our lives.

What does he think is the way forward – and are people really listening? Presenter: Mike Wendling Producers: Jonathan Griffin and Ed Main

(Photo caption: Douglas Rushkoff/ Photo credit: Iain Marcks)

The fight for South Africa’s future Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

There’s a new wave of political activism in South Africa. Young activists with social media savvy have shaken up the system and could be a decisive factor in next month’s general election.

We’ve been to Johannesburg to meet Sankara. His day job is selling eggs, and he’s a staunch supporter of the African National Congress (ANC) – the political movement that has been in power ever since Nelson Mandela was elected president 25 years ago.

But this time around the ANC’s majority is not looking so certain. One relatively new party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, are looking to boost their share of the vote with more radical policies over land reform and other issues. Their hard-left rhetoric has found an audience among many young people including students like Thapi.

The new wave of youth activism has been given a boost by campus movements against rising tuition fees and against alleged bias in education.

And so it’s fitting that we brought Sankara and Thapi to meet on the grounds of Wits University to debate the future path of South Africa.

Presenters: Jonathan Griffin and Anisa Subedar Producer: Marco Silva

Photo Caption: ANC member Sankara (left) and EFF member Thapi (right)/ Photo Credit: BBC

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected