“How do we stop X?”: An Adventure Through Conspiracyland
By Parina Patel
“It’s Social Media’s world and we’re all just living in it.”
Marianna Spring delved into the complex world of ‘Conspiracyland’, sharing her experiences of going on ‘fact-finding missions’ and exploring the idea and misconceptions of trolling through her book Among the Trolls, in conversation with Justin Webb, at Wimbledon BookFest on 21st October 2024.
The event began with Marianna outlining how she became the BBC’s first social media correspondent. Her avid interest in propaganda and growing up with social media as a teenager sparked an interest to explore the connection between the ‘online and offline world’. She passionately talked about the effects of social media algorithms on young people, especially young men. She explored the case of ‘Kai’, an 18-year-old whose feed of football videos was taken over by recommendations of violent and misogynistic content – this sinister effect of algorithms has been blamed for influencing actual crimes, including the murder of a teenager.
Marianna then explained the common misconceptions of people who ‘troll’ or are victims of it, as oftentimes she found that they’re ordinary people and sometimes don’t even realise the impact of their actions. She also gave insights into the hateful comments she gets online and the risk that comes with being BBC’s disinformation reporter.
I was touched by her empathy and anti-doorstep approach which allowed the people she met to explain the ‘why’ not just the ‘what’. She also used people underestimating her because she’s a young woman as her ‘hidden superpower’ to get more information.
The talk finished with a quick Q&A, which involved questions about how we can ‘stop X’, and Marianna explained that we can ‘build trust in social media’ by making sure we hold social media companies accountable as it will ensure these platforms remain safe for everyone to use.
