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Among the Trolls: My Journey Through Conspiracyland
MY NAME IS MARIANNA SPRING AND SOME OF MY TROLLS SAY THEY WANT TO KILL ME
Threats and abuse litter my social media feeds. They infect my everyday life. Sometimes the people behind the messages try to find me in person. This seems to be the price of venturing into the world of conspiracy theories, hate and algorithms. And it turns out, I am far from alone.
In 2020, I became the BBC's first disinformation and social media correspondent, and since then I have been trying to understand conspiracyland. Where does the vitriol come from? What drives otherwise reasonable people to believe that almost everything - from the worst attacks and wars to global health crises and climate change - is a hoax designed to kill or control millions of us?
In Among the Trolls I tell the first-hand stories of the trolls and the trolled, those behind the information battle that threatens not just the way society works, but also some of the qualities we value most about being respect, fairness, tolerance, integrity and kindness.
Threats and abuse litter my social media feeds. They infect my everyday life. Sometimes the people behind the messages try to find me in person. This seems to be the price of venturing into the world of conspiracy theories, hate and algorithms. And it turns out, I am far from alone.
In 2020, I became the BBC's first disinformation and social media correspondent, and since then I have been trying to understand conspiracyland. Where does the vitriol come from? What drives otherwise reasonable people to believe that almost everything - from the worst attacks and wars to global health crises and climate change - is a hoax designed to kill or control millions of us?
In Among the Trolls I tell the first-hand stories of the trolls and the trolled, those behind the information battle that threatens not just the way society works, but also some of the qualities we value most about being respect, fairness, tolerance, integrity and kindness.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 7, 2024
1) In warfare human beings discover a capability for violence they never knew they had; so long as it’s sanctioned by the state they can bomb and kill with ease. Now social media has revealed something else we weren’t aware of - a propensity in many people for wild untethered beliefs and uncouth speech that has come as a shock. We have all found out that for many people (your son, your dear little grandmamma, the hairdresser, the bassist in your third favourite band) there is absolutely no notion of the objective reality we ourselves always assumed; they actually never did believe in any of these concepts of democracy and liberal government and rule of law that the rest of us have been taking for granted, they think it’s all a puppeteered sham and we are the sheeple being herded about. And it’s never not been a sham.
2) But wait - if the conspiracies unearthed by the theorists are so vast, complex and powerful how are they ever to be defeated? What would success look like to a conspiracy believer?
3) One conspiracy pusher explains the difference between him and Marianna : ”You believe all people are good. I believe almost everyone is bad.”
4) Marianna asks herself why she doesn’t believe in conspiracies:
At the heart of it is a simple answer: trust. I have faith in a system and institutions that have no on the whole let me down, plus a doctor for a dad and a mum who was once a nurse.
OMG, this sounds truly naïve, and I can hear even non-truther readers failing to stifle guffaws. And yet, I agree with her. I believe in double blind clinical trials, I believe in peer-reviewed scientific papers, I believe that the government is real and that I and my fellow citizens can throw the rascals out when we vote, and get some new rascals in.
5) But! If you oppose conspiracy theories you are quite often in the sorry unpleasant position of having to defend the findings of the FBI and CIA etc about such matters as 9/11 and JFK. It’s invidious.
6) The conspiracy believers will take the official version of a particular event and give it unrelenting scrutiny and dismantle it and mock it. The arguments against the official version, however, are given zero scrutiny, they are instantly accepted.
7) You might think that the conspiracy believers get involved in their campaigns in order to feel better, to gain what they call “agency” these days. But you’d be wrong (I was).
The true believers become even more powerless, because ultimately thy can’t resolve the fabricated plot they think they’ve uncovered. They also find themselves exploited by new powerful people – the leaders of this conspiracy world.
That was an interesting insight, on page 46. Unfortunately on page 47 we read :
Conspiracy theories and falsehoods help believers feel powerful in a world where lots of people feel powerless.
So, er, which is it?
8) Isaac Newton was an alchemist and Conan Doyle believed in spiritualism, and also fairies. Some scientists are full of irrational thought.
9) The Russian state conspires to promote conspiracy theories about the West, NATO, Ukraine, etc. A real conspiracy encourages fake conspiracies.
10) The last part of this book is very repetetetive. Marianna sets up a number of fake accounts with the Big Five (Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter/X, Tiktok) using various profiles and checks what stuff their algorithms send to her. No surprise, as, for example, a profile for a fake 14 year old boy, after he clicka and likes some videos, is quickly sent by Tiktok lots of videos glorifying gang life and knife carrying. Or a profile of a concerned 40 year old woman is sent antivax stuff. This is the stuff the companies say they don’t allow. When Marianna shows them proof that their vetting procedures are not working, they refuse an interview and fob her off with a bland statement. “Snapchat strictly prohibits bullying, harassment and any illegal activity…[we] provide confidential in-app reporting tools”.
Marianna is contemptuous in a polite sort of way :
These are the sorts of responses I often receive from social media sites. They are practically interchangeable, and often describe policies that my reporting contradicts or reveals to be inadequately enforced.
11) Conspiracy theories rely on the belief that many many people are almost superhuman, capable of plans that would be incredibly difficult or even impossible to pull off. When backed into a corner, conspiracy theorists afford magical powers to the cabal of powerful, corrupt people they believe are pulling all the strings.
12 ) Between 1 January 2023 and the end of June that year the BBC received 14,488 warnings about abusive social media posts relating to their personnel. Of this number, 11,771 relate to me.
Because Marianna has been exposing online conspiracy trollers for a few years. They know who she is and they hate her.
FURTHER READING
I have already read :
Troll Hunting: Inside the World of Online Hate and its Human Fallout by Ginger Gorman
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship Between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture by Whitney Phillips
The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World by James Ball
These are all well worth it, but of course the conspiracy theories of yesteryear begin to look quaint.
2) But wait - if the conspiracies unearthed by the theorists are so vast, complex and powerful how are they ever to be defeated? What would success look like to a conspiracy believer?
3) One conspiracy pusher explains the difference between him and Marianna : ”You believe all people are good. I believe almost everyone is bad.”
4) Marianna asks herself why she doesn’t believe in conspiracies:
At the heart of it is a simple answer: trust. I have faith in a system and institutions that have no on the whole let me down, plus a doctor for a dad and a mum who was once a nurse.
OMG, this sounds truly naïve, and I can hear even non-truther readers failing to stifle guffaws. And yet, I agree with her. I believe in double blind clinical trials, I believe in peer-reviewed scientific papers, I believe that the government is real and that I and my fellow citizens can throw the rascals out when we vote, and get some new rascals in.
5) But! If you oppose conspiracy theories you are quite often in the sorry unpleasant position of having to defend the findings of the FBI and CIA etc about such matters as 9/11 and JFK. It’s invidious.
6) The conspiracy believers will take the official version of a particular event and give it unrelenting scrutiny and dismantle it and mock it. The arguments against the official version, however, are given zero scrutiny, they are instantly accepted.
7) You might think that the conspiracy believers get involved in their campaigns in order to feel better, to gain what they call “agency” these days. But you’d be wrong (I was).
The true believers become even more powerless, because ultimately thy can’t resolve the fabricated plot they think they’ve uncovered. They also find themselves exploited by new powerful people – the leaders of this conspiracy world.
That was an interesting insight, on page 46. Unfortunately on page 47 we read :
Conspiracy theories and falsehoods help believers feel powerful in a world where lots of people feel powerless.
So, er, which is it?
8) Isaac Newton was an alchemist and Conan Doyle believed in spiritualism, and also fairies. Some scientists are full of irrational thought.
9) The Russian state conspires to promote conspiracy theories about the West, NATO, Ukraine, etc. A real conspiracy encourages fake conspiracies.
10) The last part of this book is very repetetetive. Marianna sets up a number of fake accounts with the Big Five (Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter/X, Tiktok) using various profiles and checks what stuff their algorithms send to her. No surprise, as, for example, a profile for a fake 14 year old boy, after he clicka and likes some videos, is quickly sent by Tiktok lots of videos glorifying gang life and knife carrying. Or a profile of a concerned 40 year old woman is sent antivax stuff. This is the stuff the companies say they don’t allow. When Marianna shows them proof that their vetting procedures are not working, they refuse an interview and fob her off with a bland statement. “Snapchat strictly prohibits bullying, harassment and any illegal activity…[we] provide confidential in-app reporting tools”.
Marianna is contemptuous in a polite sort of way :
These are the sorts of responses I often receive from social media sites. They are practically interchangeable, and often describe policies that my reporting contradicts or reveals to be inadequately enforced.
11) Conspiracy theories rely on the belief that many many people are almost superhuman, capable of plans that would be incredibly difficult or even impossible to pull off. When backed into a corner, conspiracy theorists afford magical powers to the cabal of powerful, corrupt people they believe are pulling all the strings.
12 ) Between 1 January 2023 and the end of June that year the BBC received 14,488 warnings about abusive social media posts relating to their personnel. Of this number, 11,771 relate to me.
Because Marianna has been exposing online conspiracy trollers for a few years. They know who she is and they hate her.
FURTHER READING
I have already read :
Troll Hunting: Inside the World of Online Hate and its Human Fallout by Ginger Gorman
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Mapping the Relationship Between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture by Whitney Phillips
The Other Pandemic: How QAnon Contaminated the World by James Ball
These are all well worth it, but of course the conspiracy theories of yesteryear begin to look quaint.
March 29, 2024
I have finished reading “Among the Trolls: My Journey Through Conspiracyland.” By Marianna Spring.
Marianna Spring is the BBC’s Disinformation Correspondent.
"You believe all people are good. I believe almost everyone is bad".
Conspiracy theorist interviewed by Marianna Spring.
The world of conspiracy theories, or “Conspiracyland” as Marianna Spring calls it, has changed in recent years. What was seen as a small and harmless interest for a quirky minority has seem to be have gained new strength and purpose after 9/11 (when the author was 5 years old, cheers for making me feel like a dinosaur BTW Ms. Spring). But it was the 2020 COVID Pandemic that seems to have given Conspiracyland a shot in the arm with many more new recruits. But the success of Conspiracyland has been given a big help by the rise of Social Media.
This book isn’t designed as a blow by blow historical account of how the conspiracy theory movement in the UK and beyond has got to the extent it has. Instead, the author dedicates this book mainly to looking the human side of this issue. The rank-and-file believers are looked at alongside the profiteers as well as the victims. The author’s exploration of the mindset of believers by engaging with them is the main pulse of this book. While the author makes clear that as a journalist, she is in no place to promote remedies for this big problem, she equally makes clear that engagement with such people (who she sees as victims of conspiracy theories too) has to be part of the way of addressing it. Sometimes this made myself as the reader feel conflicted in my emotions, especially when she was patiently engaging with believers who had harassed the survivors of terror attacks just to “prove” their injuries were faked. But in many ways, I feel she may be looking down the right avenue. After all, getting people out of Conspiracyland is basically a process of deradicalisation.
This book in many ways felt like a game of two halves. Much of the first part seems to be dedicated to shedding a human light on those who become ensnared by the conspiracy theory movement. I would like to make the point of saying that I also highly appreciate Spring’s efforts to focus on the picture of the UK Conspiracyland scene, before looking further out. Too many experts seem to get caught in American narratives and seem to forget there is a world beyond the US. The second half though is a pretty strong critique of the irresponsibility of Social Media companies, backed up by some convincing research. She carefully lays out some real world examples of where harm has been inflicted via Social Media in and out of Conspiracyland, showing the wider implications of not holding the companies that own it to account.
In terms of showing the problem and the best and worst of humanity and knowing her subject area, I cannot fault the author. What I did feel a bit short changed on was the chapter talking about possible remedies to the problem of Conspiracyland being supercharged by Social Media. I find the excuse that she is a journalist and not a campaigner as not entirely convincing in this respect, since she has obviously researched and publicised this problem in order to have it addressed. In her writing she comes across as too insightful, thoughtful and curious not to at least have thought about problem solutions.
Yet this slight cop out is partially made up by a small rump section at the end throwing out a few pre-existing policy solutions. Finland in particular has for some years now put Critical Thinking on their School Curriculum to make young people alert to disinformation and misinformation. Just to be clear disinformation is the deliberate weaponizing of information for an agenda, misinformation is closer to just being uninformed or misinformed.
Marianna Spring also touches on the issue of Trust in UK society and many parts of the West being worryingly low, especially in governing institutions. She rightly points out that supporting investigative journalism is a partial remedy for this problem. But I think she potentially could have delved a lot deeper into the origin problem of why people find solace in Conspiracyland. The UK in 2024 does not come off, on the whole, as a very hopeful and happy place to myself. Mixed in with this is a culture that puts off open public discussion of politics across different tribes of opinion. Social Media has not only polarised public debate so we talk within our echo chambers, but trolling culture discourages us from admitting that we don’t know things, for fear of retribution. Unfortunately, out of fear of avoiding uncertainty, too many people find their protection from it in Conspiracyland. The problem is getting worse.
Even though this book was a tough read at times, I believe Marianna Spring was the right person at the right time to write about this important subject. But I got a sense that she had only scratched the surface. In true conspiracy theory-style, I am interested to see where else she takes us further down the rabbit hole.
Marianna Spring is the BBC’s Disinformation Correspondent.
"You believe all people are good. I believe almost everyone is bad".
Conspiracy theorist interviewed by Marianna Spring.
The world of conspiracy theories, or “Conspiracyland” as Marianna Spring calls it, has changed in recent years. What was seen as a small and harmless interest for a quirky minority has seem to be have gained new strength and purpose after 9/11 (when the author was 5 years old, cheers for making me feel like a dinosaur BTW Ms. Spring). But it was the 2020 COVID Pandemic that seems to have given Conspiracyland a shot in the arm with many more new recruits. But the success of Conspiracyland has been given a big help by the rise of Social Media.
This book isn’t designed as a blow by blow historical account of how the conspiracy theory movement in the UK and beyond has got to the extent it has. Instead, the author dedicates this book mainly to looking the human side of this issue. The rank-and-file believers are looked at alongside the profiteers as well as the victims. The author’s exploration of the mindset of believers by engaging with them is the main pulse of this book. While the author makes clear that as a journalist, she is in no place to promote remedies for this big problem, she equally makes clear that engagement with such people (who she sees as victims of conspiracy theories too) has to be part of the way of addressing it. Sometimes this made myself as the reader feel conflicted in my emotions, especially when she was patiently engaging with believers who had harassed the survivors of terror attacks just to “prove” their injuries were faked. But in many ways, I feel she may be looking down the right avenue. After all, getting people out of Conspiracyland is basically a process of deradicalisation.
This book in many ways felt like a game of two halves. Much of the first part seems to be dedicated to shedding a human light on those who become ensnared by the conspiracy theory movement. I would like to make the point of saying that I also highly appreciate Spring’s efforts to focus on the picture of the UK Conspiracyland scene, before looking further out. Too many experts seem to get caught in American narratives and seem to forget there is a world beyond the US. The second half though is a pretty strong critique of the irresponsibility of Social Media companies, backed up by some convincing research. She carefully lays out some real world examples of where harm has been inflicted via Social Media in and out of Conspiracyland, showing the wider implications of not holding the companies that own it to account.
In terms of showing the problem and the best and worst of humanity and knowing her subject area, I cannot fault the author. What I did feel a bit short changed on was the chapter talking about possible remedies to the problem of Conspiracyland being supercharged by Social Media. I find the excuse that she is a journalist and not a campaigner as not entirely convincing in this respect, since she has obviously researched and publicised this problem in order to have it addressed. In her writing she comes across as too insightful, thoughtful and curious not to at least have thought about problem solutions.
Yet this slight cop out is partially made up by a small rump section at the end throwing out a few pre-existing policy solutions. Finland in particular has for some years now put Critical Thinking on their School Curriculum to make young people alert to disinformation and misinformation. Just to be clear disinformation is the deliberate weaponizing of information for an agenda, misinformation is closer to just being uninformed or misinformed.
Marianna Spring also touches on the issue of Trust in UK society and many parts of the West being worryingly low, especially in governing institutions. She rightly points out that supporting investigative journalism is a partial remedy for this problem. But I think she potentially could have delved a lot deeper into the origin problem of why people find solace in Conspiracyland. The UK in 2024 does not come off, on the whole, as a very hopeful and happy place to myself. Mixed in with this is a culture that puts off open public discussion of politics across different tribes of opinion. Social Media has not only polarised public debate so we talk within our echo chambers, but trolling culture discourages us from admitting that we don’t know things, for fear of retribution. Unfortunately, out of fear of avoiding uncertainty, too many people find their protection from it in Conspiracyland. The problem is getting worse.
Even though this book was a tough read at times, I believe Marianna Spring was the right person at the right time to write about this important subject. But I got a sense that she had only scratched the surface. In true conspiracy theory-style, I am interested to see where else she takes us further down the rabbit hole.
March 24, 2024
This is an eye-opening commentary on a real 21st century problem. Conspiracy theories have been around for a huge number of years but in today’s world they all seem to have been supercharged and with the explosion of social media in today’s world it feels like these can spread like wildfire.
Marianna Spring presents the uncomfortable truth of what is going on in the world and she presents this in a non-judgemental but highly knowledgeable way that is engaging to read and learn about and it’s clear that she has a pure passion for her job and opening all our eyes to what’s going on in the online world we all are apart off. Marianna not only fights for the victims, but she also tries to uncover and understand the trolls and what motivates them.
A Really insightful read that really shines a spotlight on the world and people of Conspiracyland!
Marianna Spring presents the uncomfortable truth of what is going on in the world and she presents this in a non-judgemental but highly knowledgeable way that is engaging to read and learn about and it’s clear that she has a pure passion for her job and opening all our eyes to what’s going on in the online world we all are apart off. Marianna not only fights for the victims, but she also tries to uncover and understand the trolls and what motivates them.
A Really insightful read that really shines a spotlight on the world and people of Conspiracyland!
March 29, 2024
Amazing book detailing different investigations Marianna has done around conspiracies and misinformation. She treats all of her subjects with such empathy and provides insightful analysis about how misinformation spreads and why.
April 1, 2024
Great book that really deserves more of a review, because it really shows what you can do with some good reporting/journalism compared to more reaserch based books. But that will be for another time.
Now I just have to say that I really hate the cover. But dont judge the book by it.
Now I just have to say that I really hate the cover. But dont judge the book by it.
April 26, 2024
A canary in the coalmine. Great, and necessary
March 11, 2024
I have so much respect for Marianna Spring taking on this cesspool of trolls. She is unique in that not only does she fight for the victims but she genuinely tries to understand the trolls and what motivates them, sometimes finding that they are victims themselves.
I don't feel positive about our future or that the SM platforms that drive the hate will be held to account anytime soon.
I don't feel positive about our future or that the SM platforms that drive the hate will be held to account anytime soon.
July 20, 2024
it kind of feels essential these days to know about conspiracy theories, conspiracy theorists, disinformation and trolls- sort of like a social media self-defence course. Understanding how these things work can act like an emotional or intellectual armour against the toxic blasts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube etc. Marianna Spring's book is a good place to get some of that understanding. As a report on conspiracy theories for the BBC she has seen, investigated and been exposed to the worst of it. There are some nuggets of hope (in the stories of those who have escaped, or those who have backed away from their worst behaviour), but overall this is a depressing story with little chance of significant change. Spring covers a wide range of topics, but the ones I found the most interesting were those on the motivations of these trolls: why do people fall for these conspiracies? Why do they propound them? What do they get out of it? She answers these questions with a combination of evidence, interviews and encounters with the trolls in question that is both illuminating and fascinating.
March 21, 2024
Just finished this fantastic commentary on a real 21st century problem. Conspiracy theories have been around since Adam was a lad, but today’s hyper connected world has supercharged the spread of such stuff, with Trolls having a perfect base and situation to attack for fun (or otherwise)
The author presents the uncomfortable reality of what is going on in our world in a knowledgeable and non judgemental way. Shocking in parts, it’s just a pity that the people in society who really would benefit from reading this book will never see it.
Marianna Spring describes several possible solutions, from the perpetrators coming face to face with their victims to greater control and monitoring of the powerful social media platforms.
My recommendation is for the book to be on the National Curriculum so that every (internet savvy) school pupil gets to understand how misinformation and trolling happens, and how to spot it before it engulfs you.
A strong 5 star recommendation
The author presents the uncomfortable reality of what is going on in our world in a knowledgeable and non judgemental way. Shocking in parts, it’s just a pity that the people in society who really would benefit from reading this book will never see it.
Marianna Spring describes several possible solutions, from the perpetrators coming face to face with their victims to greater control and monitoring of the powerful social media platforms.
My recommendation is for the book to be on the National Curriculum so that every (internet savvy) school pupil gets to understand how misinformation and trolling happens, and how to spot it before it engulfs you.
A strong 5 star recommendation
April 25, 2024
Insightful without being judgmental
What am important contribution to our understanding of how the world is being influenced by social media. To see how these companies are causing so much damage (and yes they enable some good) with apparently no effective oversight. We’ve been asleep at the wheel. It was also a useful reminder in how to check our sources, and not just pass on posts without ensuring we are not adding to the lies.
What am important contribution to our understanding of how the world is being influenced by social media. To see how these companies are causing so much damage (and yes they enable some good) with apparently no effective oversight. We’ve been asleep at the wheel. It was also a useful reminder in how to check our sources, and not just pass on posts without ensuring we are not adding to the lies.
April 26, 2024
I loved this. I’m a journalist too and I’ve become increasingly concerned recently about disinformation and misinformation and this book, although frightening, was a fascinating deep dive. I learned so much. Marianna also writes in a simple and accessible way. It should almost be essential reading for anyone who uses social media…
May 30, 2024
An interesting read. The first half of the book covers conspiracy theorists and those who start the stories. The last part of the book was, to me, more interesting as it talked about how the five main social media platforms push stories at people
June 1, 2024
An empathetic look at the world of conspiracy theories and those who fall into the rabbit hole, along with a reminder of the dangers of social media. This was well investigated, but I didn't learn that much new. I found it profoundly depressing though...
June 14, 2024
This book is almost entirely anecdotal. After reading this book I went off to learn more about Marianna Spring and she seems to have been spreading a few conspiracy theories of her own. I learned nothing by reading this book, overall it was very poor.
July 14, 2024
Fascinating subject, well researched and good pace. I believe in Marianna's integrity and enthusiasm for her subject. I wish the proofreading had been done better though, there were so many missed words, this felt like a draft copy.
March 10, 2024
In my humble opinion, this book wasn´t very well written and wasn´t very good even from informational or educational point of view.
June 26, 2024
Good book, very interesting and courageous journalism too. Also a good Podcast which covers some of the same stories from a different angle.
June 3, 2024
A good broad intro to the world of online conspiracies and disinformation. A lot of repeat anecdotes if you are familiar with Marianna's podcasts, but also some new stories, and presented in a really accessible way. Would be a good point of entry for anyone interested in the topic but not sure where to start.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews