BBC Trending

In June 2017 more than 70 children arrived at a university campus in Indiana, USA. They were there to take part in a nutrition study that examined the effects of diet and sodium reduction on blood pressure and cholesterol in adolescents. But the experiment swiftly came to a halt when a video was posted online of what was going on at the Camp. As a result, the multimillion dollar nutrition study was terminated. We travel to the US to speak to the children who participated in the study, their parents, and a camp manager. Presenter: Anisa Subedar Reporter: Camilla Ruz Producer: Ant Adeane Studio managers: James Beard and Rod Farquhar Image Caption: Purdue University Student Dormitory Building Image Credit: Getty

At the start of October some users of a music-streaming platform found that their accounts were playing songs against their wishes. Artists like the Bergenulo Five and DJ Bruej were streamed thousands of times, with Spotify users claiming the music was forced onto them. Apart from the listings on the streaming platforms, the musicians had next to no digital footprint on the rest of the internet - no fan pages, no concert listings and no photos of the actual band members. So who was behind the streaming and why? Reporter: Jonathan Griffin Producer: Ant Adeane (Photo: A woman with an unhappy expression wearing headphones whilst placing her hands over her ears. Credit: Getty Images)

We meet investigators looking into social media manipulation and the people behind the Hamilton 68 project, which monitors suspected Russian accounts. Two reports recently prepared for US Senate investigators detailed extensive Russian efforts to influence major social networks. Trending travels to Texas to meet the people behind one of the reports at New Knowledge, a company that was involved in the development of the “Hamilton 68 dashboard” – a running tally of hashtags and other information on accounts linked to Russian propaganda. New Knowledge has been one of a number of companies at the forefront of the investigation into the Kremlin-linked Internet Research Agency and other disinformation campaigns. But the firm has also been criticised for lack of transparency around Hamilton 68 and for its involvement in a project during the US Senate race in Alabama. How do researchers answer those criticisms – and what are the methods they use to establish the origins of disinformation and social media propaganda? Presenter: Anisa Subedar Reporter: Mike Wendling Studio Managers: Neil Churchill and Graham Puddifoot Image Caption: New Knowledge co-founders Ryan Fox (left) and Jonathon Morgan (right) at the company’s offices in Austin, Texas Image Credit: BBC

Russian pensions, football in Africa, jihadi propaganda – these are among the stories, trends, and conversations that are to shape social media in 2019. To find out more, Marco Silva talks to BBC colleagues who watch social media around the world. What stories and conversations will they be following online in the year ahead? Presenter: Marco Silva Sound engineer: Rod Farquhar Photo caption: a man holds a smartphone with the icons for various social networking apps seen on the screen. Photo credit: Getty Images

A look at BBC Trending’s highlights from the past year of covering social media. From America’s student anti-gun movement to the continuing noise made by #MeToo activists, social media played a huge role in some of the biggest political movements of the year. And of course the World Cup was drenched in tweets and hashtags - plus, we visit the gaming team with an average age of 67. All that and more, in our roundup of the year on social media as seen by BBC Trending. Presenter: Mike Wendling Producer: Reha Kansara Sound Engineers: Rod Farquar and Graham Puddifoot Photo Caption: A hashtag in a speech bubble Photo Credit: Getty Images