It’s no surprise more people want to become influencers - a study found that in 2024, YouTube content creators alone contributed £2.2bn to the UK’s economy. But… would you pay thousands to study how to be one?

A growing number of universities around the world, like Arizona State University in the US, have started offering Content Creation courses. We hear from Martyna who is currently studying BA Content Creation at Nottingham Trent University in the UK.

So are these courses the best way to become an influencer? Or are they more about training to go into a career in online marketing?

BBC journalist Megan Lawton takes us through the stats and Daanish (@doctordaanish), a medical doctor and influencer, gives us his take on these degrees.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams and Chelsea Coates Video Producer: Tim Hodges Editor: Emily Horler

There’s just SOMETHING not quite right about that French influencer we’re seeing all over socials. His blonde bob, the suit he wears, and that moustache! His name is Jean Philanthrope, and his videos have wracked up millions of views. But, it turns out, he’s not real. He’s AI and he’s being used to promote a risky type of crypto called a Meme coin.

We speak to BBC Verify’s Marco Silva about how he investigates characters like this, how they work, and what you can do to keep yourself safe from falling for this kind of content. Artist and performer Nadir Josi also tells us his concerns about the ‘copy and paste culture’ of the internet, and what it means for the future of art.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mollie Perella Editors: Emily Horler

Last week, Christa Pike, a death row inmate in the US faced execution via lethal injection for a murder she committed in 1995. But after she was given two full doses of the drug pentobarbital, she survived. At the time of uploading this podcast, she remains awake in hospital and it’s unclear what went wrong with the attempted execution.

We hear the details from BBC reporters in the US, who have been covering this story including Brandon Drenon, Kayla Epstein and Nada Tawfik.

Not long after Pike’s recovery, the US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced that an execution by firing squad in Fort Hood, Texas will be livestreamed to the public for the first time. The man on death row is Nidal Hasan, a former US Army major and he shot dead 13 unarmed US soldiers in 2009.

What does this all mean for the future of the death penalty in the US?

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Chelsea Coates and Benita Barden Editor: Emily Horler

January isn’t the only time for new year’s resolutions anymore. The end of the year is having a moment too - as part of the great lock-in trend. There’s lots of content online about locking in for the last four months of the year - whether that’s working out more regularly, spending less time on your phone, or trying to get that promotion at work.

Some people call it a winter arc, a September reset or the fresh-start effect - why have so many of us decided this is the perfect time for self-improvement? And is striving for optimisation all the time necessarily a good thing?

We hear from Adeja Shivonne, a lifestyle content creator based in New York City, who shares how her great lock-in is going. And BBC journalist Melissa Hogenboom explains what the science says about how to successfully set new goals - and stick to them.

Film and TV show spoilers often come with a warning because people know they can be annoying. But when it comes to footage from concerts and gigs… those rules don’t really apply, as Olivia Rodrigo fans found out when clips of a surprise moment from her ‘Unraveled Tour’ went viral on socials.

You might have saved up for a ticket to see your favourite artist, found the perfect outfit and be counting down the days to the big show, but the chances are that you’ll know what’s going to happen way before you get there. Fan clips of all the biggest moments, the surprises and the special guests are usually shared everywhere online and difficult to avoid. If you’ve been to a concert recently, you might have found it irritating if people are filming huge chunks of the show in front of you. Some artists like Phoebe Bridgers, are even banning phones from their concerts.

We ask if gig spoilers ruin the surprise or actually add to the excitement. And, if they’re not for you, what can you do to avoid them when you’re online? We speak to BBC journalist Riyah Collins who has been looking into this and ask music fans from Nigeria, Australia and the UK what they think.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Chelsea Coates and William Lee Adams Editor: Emily Horler

Can we really get swallowed by a black hole? And what would actually happen if we did? Black holes are really mysterious and there is still so much we don’t know about them. So, grab your space helmet because we’re getting into some of the biggest questions scientists are still trying to answer.

We speak to science journalist, Caroline Steel, to clear up some of the mysteries around black holes. How do they distort time? Are wormholes real?

We also hear from astrophysicist and postdoctoral researcher Rowina Nathan - she separates fact from fiction and busts some of the most common black hole myths, answering questions from members of the Cosmic Girls Foundation, a global community helping teenage girls engage with space, science and technology.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Baldeep Chahal, William Lee Adams and Rita Behadini Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Emily Horler

Across France, thousands of high school students are protesting. They say they’re doing it because of conditions in their schools - that classrooms are overcrowded, there’s not enough teachers and they can’t concentrate on exams because school buildings aren’t being maintained well enough.

Five hundred schools are shut and some protests have turned violent, with riot police being deployed and some streets set on fire. Pupils, teachers and police have been injured. Many of the protesters are under 18 and at this point there is no sign of the demonstrations ending. So why is this happening?

We hear from French teenagers who have spent the last few days protesting about what they want to change and why this is so important to them. We also hear from BBC reporter Pierre-Antoine Denis and former student union president Manès Nadel.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Chelsea Coates, Emma-Louise Amanshia and Rita Behadini Editor: Emily Horler

It’s something you might dream of - or only see in films or read in books - moving to a remote island in the middle of the sea. Only wildlife around you. No bars or clubs and barely any people!

Sound like a bit of you? Or maybe it’s your worst nightmare. We speak to BBC reporter Georgina Rannard, about why she’s swapping city life to be a farmer on an island in Wales with only three other people. We also hear tips from people that’ve done similar things. Jaleesah lives on Siquijor in the Philippines and Tom works on a research station in Antarctica.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producer: Mollie Perella Editor: Emily Horler