Who Trolled Amber?
4.8/5
Critic Rating
Hosted by Alexi Mostrous, the host of #1 hit podcasts Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed, Who Trolled Amber? investigates whether Amber Heard was targeted by an organised trolling campaign – and if so, who might have been responsible for it. The series asks whether Amber Heard got a fair trial. What if social media hate affected the jury’s decision? And what if some of that hate wasn’t real? In a year when four billion people are heading to the polls, and with the World Economic Forum warning that online misinformation is the most severe risk the world faces, Who Trolled Amber? shines a light on the shady industry of social media manipulation. It reveals how bots and trolls can sway opinions from celebrity trials to general elections. In this age of misinformation, can we trust what we think?
Critic Reviews
Score: 5
Anna Leszkiewicz • New Statesman • Mar 13, 2024
"...discover that more than half of the critical posts against Heard were “inauthentic” – generated by bots. It’s a revelation that poses more questions than it solves."
Score: 5
PR Staff • PodcastReview.org • Mar 8, 2024
"Who Trolled Amber? should be listened to critically, but the excellent Alexi Mostrous brings to light threats to online safety, democracy, and victim blaming that may get worse as social media regulation stalls."
Score: 5
Stephen O. • Podcast Delivery • Mar 4, 2024
"You might think that the legal proceedings of a failing Hollywood relationship are the last place you'd find a narrative as intellectually stimulating as this one, but Who Trolled Amber? definitely delivers. He unravels the real story worthy of your attention: your thoughts can be swayed without you ever realizing it."
Score: 5
Devin • Podstack • Mar 4, 2024
"...this investigation actually helps us understand the impact that internet presence can have on our perceptions and opinions....you get more familiar with the history through hearing from one of Amber’s lawyers from another case that happened in the UK. It’s helpful to compare it to the US case..."
Score: 5
Patricia Nicol • The Times UK • Mar 3, 2024
"...deserves attention...Mostrous is a thoughtful guide to an unregulated online sphere with real-world power. Even if you don’t care much for the trials of Heard, we should all be concerned about the online world’s potential impact on our politics and society."
Score: 5
Gregg Stockdale • The Podcast Geek • Mar 3, 2024
"Most of the world followed the trial of Depp v Heard in some way. How much did we actually know though? And how much was real?"
Score: 5
Miranda Sawyer • The Guardian • Mar 2, 2024
"Another madly click-friendly topic, though Mostrous spends a lot of time in the first episode telling us that, actually, he’s not interested in celebrity and barely even noticed the trial taking place. There are many podcasts about how the internet is changing the world, turning lies into truth and vice versa. This has the potential to be one of the most chilling."
Score: 3
James Marriot • The Times UK • Feb 29, 2024
"...the argument of Who Trolled Amber? strikes me as more tenuous. These discussions might be more interesting and more difficult than simply blaming the bots."
Score: 5
Fiona Sturges • Financial Times • Feb 25, 2024
"Unlike much of the Depp/Heard content, Who Trolled Amber? isn’t merely a retelling of a celebrity scandal, or a cynical attempt to poke the hornet’s nest. It’s a thoughtful, compelling and frequently alarming tale of industrial-scale misogyny and online manipulation and of lives and livelihoods derailed. …"
