Top Comment

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.

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.

It's the latest example of an influencer's digital persona disintegrating before our eyes. For several years, Angel Victoria Murdock has been portraying a life of self-made success, from real estate deals to a watchalong student experience at Duke University. She curated hundreds of thousands of followers and even appeared on reality show Temptation Island - only, the majority of her online life appears to have been fabricated. After being outed by real graduates of the programme she claimed to attend, Murdock's profile has gone dark. On this episode, we examine her case, and the long line of predecessors who have leveraged a fake identity on social media.
Also this week, as long-time internet provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos cries foul over his deportation from the US, Matt and Marianna consider what his downfall tells us about the state of social media. A man who forged a career from controversy, they discuss why the splintered conservative community may have united in abandoning him, and how cancel culture is evolving.
Plus - Raygun is back online.
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.

A Massachusetts jury are deliberating in the shocking case of Lindsay Clancy, a mother who admits to killing her three young children amid suffering, her lawyers argue, extreme post-partum psychosis. Online sleuths have been streaming the trial, and aggregating clips online to advance unfounded and defamatory conspiracies in the name of activism and awareness. Matt and Marianna explain how these creators operate, and consider the broader risks connected with the growing phenomenon of TikTok trials, from Depp v Heard to Karen Read.
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 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.

How did a 16-year-old girl with no prior online presence manage to gain more than 700k TikTok followers within a week of her first post? On this episode, we discuss the theories behind Ellie Ellis' unlikely explosion, ask whether her multimillion-view debut video could have gone viral organically, and consider how platforms profit from the aspirational lottery underpinning their algorithms. 
Also this week, a growing number of influencers in Bali have been panic-posting as a specialised taskforce ramps up its crackdown against those working illegally there. Matt and Marianna explain how the island paradise became a hotspot for digital nomads, and why the lifestyle they are selling isn't entirely transparent. And, we get the perspective of Alita, an Indonesian content creator who decided to leave.
Plus - Clavicular defends his latest flex from the ick allegations.
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 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.