Whistleblowers, dolphin memes, and a million dollar toilet

How has an algorithmic arms race created an environment where controversial and incendiary content is routinely amplified on our feeds? On this episode, Marianna discusses her latest investigation, which provides a paper trail showing how social media giants ignored internal warnings about the design of their platforms. She's heard from whistleblowers about problematic moderation practices, how companies deal with so-called borderline content, and the troubling reality that algorithms may now be beyond our control.

Also this week, we look at the website 'your ai slop bores me' which launched two weeks ago and is already claiming over a million unique visitors. It may look like a chatbot, but this is actually humans cosplaying as generative AI and completing mundane tasks for one another. Matt explains how this relates to what's becoming known as the 'meat layer', where humans are used to prop up the shortcomings of artificial intelligence.

Plus, how did a satirical post about a man being kidnapped by dolphins inspire a whole ecosystem of memes? And can you really make a million dollars online by selling ad space on your toilet seat?

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 [email protected] or you can send us a WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.