About this episode

The episode explores the rise of prediction markets and the implications of disinformation on vaccine scepticism, alongside the phenomenon of trendjacking in marketing.

Over the past year, prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket have exploded in popularity, as users bet on everything from battles in Ukraine to sex toys being thrown at sports games. So with concerns over both regulation and the prevalence of insider information inviting intense scrutiny, Matt has been examining how these platforms really work. Also on this episode, is the recent rise in measles cases in London down to disinformation? With several proponents of vaccine scepticism being welcomed back to social media, Marianna explains how these often discredited accounts are being amplified online. And, as the viral story of Punch the monkey and his orangutan companion drives mass sales of an Ikea soft toy, we consider how brands are increasingly looking to profit from organic content through 'trendjacking'. 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 Jonathan Greer. 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 topcomment@bbc.co.uk or you can send…

People in this episode

Hosts: Matt, Marianna Spring

Topics covered

• prediction markets
• regulation
• vaccine scepticism
• disinformation
• trendjacking
• social media

Keywords

• prediction markets
• Kalshi
• Polymarket
• measles
• disinformation
• vaccine scepticism
• trendjacking
• social media

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kalshi, Polymarket

Products: Ikea soft toy

Places: London

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• Meta, YouTube, and a damning addiction verdict · March 27, 2026 · 29 min
• Whistleblowers, dolphin memes, and a million dollar toilet · March 20, 2026 · 31 min

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