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 human: respect, fairness, tolerance, integrity and kindness.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in south-west London in 1996, Marianna Spring was appointed the BBC’s disinformation and social media correspondent in March 2020. Co-host of the Americast podcast and a Panorama presenter, her first book, Among the Trolls, is published by Atlantic next month, while her new Radio 4 series, Why Do You Hate Me?, exploring examples of online hate and forgiveness, is out now.
Adapted from The Guardian