Marianna Spring: Among the Trolls

The presenter, award-winning journalist and BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent takes us on a deep dive into algorithms and online polarisation.

Have you heard that Bill Gates is running a secret genocidal plot? That the war in Ukraine isn’t real? Or that people are paid to act out some of the worst attacks imaginable?

In Among the Trolls, BBC reporter Marianna Spring meets the most committed conspiracy theorists – and their victims.

Far from a few lone wolves, she uncovers a staggering network of true believers, trolls and conspiracy influencers engaged in an international information war. She takes on the social media companies and their algorithms, exposing the harm they can cause from witnessing it up close.

Based on first-hand interviews and original reporting, this eye-opening and unforgettable book reveals the very real consequences of disinformation, hate and online polarisation, and the risks that come with investigating it.

Marianna Spring is the BBC’s first disinformation and social media correspondent and an award-winning journalist. She presents podcasts and documentaries investigating disinformation and social media for BBC Radio 4 podcasts, as well as for BBC Panorama and BBC Three.

She is also one of the presenters of the BBC’s Americast podcast. In 2022, she was named the British Press Guild’s Audio Presenter of the year and Royal Television Society Innovation winner.