About this episode

The episode explores the disintegration of Angel Victoria Murdock's fabricated online persona and discusses the implications of cancel culture and social media controversies.

It's the latest example of an influencer's digital persona disintegrating before our eyes. For several years, Angel Victoria Murdock has been portraying a life of self-made success, from real estate deals to a watchalong student experience at Duke University. She curated hundreds of thousands of followers and even appeared on reality show Temptation Island - only, the majority of her online life appears to have been fabricated. After being outed by real graduates of the programme she claimed to attend, Murdock's profile has gone dark. On this episode, we examine her case, and the long line of predecessors who have leveraged a fake identity on social media. Also this week, as long-time internet provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos cries foul over his deportation from the US, Matt and Marianna consider what his downfall tells us about the state of social media. A man who forged a career from controversy, they discuss why the splintered conservative community may have united in abandoning him, and how cancel culture is evolving. Plus - Raygun is back online. Top Comment is hosted by Marianna Spring and Matt Shea. The series producer is Laurie Kalus. The social producer is Sophie Millward…

People in this episode

Hosts: Marianna Spring, Matt Shea

Topics covered

• hustle culture
• social media
• influencer identity
• cancel culture
• internet controversy

Keywords

• Angel Victoria Murdock
• hustle culture
• social media
• Milo Yiannopoulos
• cancel culture
• influencer
• Temptation Island

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: BBC

Books & works: Temptation Island

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