The World in Images: Season 4
Season 4 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of The World in Images Season 3.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
Moo Deng: does too cute go too far?
Jan 6, 2025
Star of social networks, the pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng captivates the whole world. Becoming famous thanks to TikTok videos, this endangered mammal has become a global mascot in j
Grok: AI Out of Control
Jan 7, 2025
Kamala Harris in a communist military uniform: This image was generated by "Grok," an AI from the X platform. Elon Musk posted the image, sparking numerous reactions. The owner of
South China Sea: Attack on the Open Sea
Jan 13, 2025
Another clash between a Chinese and a Philippine ship. For thirty years, the South China Sea has been the scene of intense tensions and a spectacular battle of public relations. Bu
Ukraine: Pin-up Propaganda
Jan 14, 2025
The Third Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian army has caused a stir with its recruitment campaign: Glossy images of beautiful young people reminiscent of film poster art, where the b
Missile Tests: France's Army Flexes Its Muscle
Jan 21, 2025
A clip circulating on social media shows the French army conducting a complex missile test firing to demonstrate its military power. The challenge with this new communication strat
Jack Doherty: One Video Too Many?
Jan 22, 2025
When millionaire youtuber Jack Doherty posted a video of him crashing his expensive sports car on a busy dual carriageway in Florida, he may have expected sympathy. But when his fo
Kim Jong-un's Daughter
Jan 29, 2025
When pictures of Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae emerged, they caused a sensation amongst the North Korean public. Many young women began to imitate her hairstyle and outfit, a practi
20 Years of YouTube
Feb 12, 2025
The video sharing platform was founded 20 years ago this year. The World in Images explores the productions of one of the most successful French youtubers: Ludoc has generated mill
Greenland: Donald Trump Jr. on Holiday
Mar 3, 2025
Donald Trump Junior visited Greenland in January 2025, claiming to be an ordinary tourist. But since his father has repeatedly expressed his interest in acquiring the Danish autono
Ukraine: North Korean soldiers captured
Apr 3, 2025
By publishing a video of two captured North Korean soldiers, Volodymyr Zelenskyj wants to prove Pyongyang's involvement in the war. But what exactly is Ukraine aiming at by display
Baltic States: Going Off-Grid
Mar 19, 2025
Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia disconnected themselves from the Russian electricity network on 9 February 2025 and joined the European grid. This real and symbolic move to energy i
Assassin's Creed: Battle of the Black Samurai
Mar 20, 2025
The trailer for the video game “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” sparked a real outcry: online attacks, petitions, calls for boycotts. In question? The presence of a black samurai. Deciph
J.D.Vance: Oval Office Bruiser
Mar 24, 2025
It was a scene that shocked the world: Volodymyr Zelensky humiliated in the Oval Office by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in front of the world’s media. But was this a planned ambush
Musk: One greeting too many?
Mar 26, 2025
In January 2025, Elon Musk performed a controversial gesture in which many saw a Nazi salute. Quickly, activist artists hijacked it and projected it onto the Tesla mega-factory nea
Two Women on the Ice
Mar 26, 2025
Two female ice-skaters taking to the ice together caused a media sensation: Gabriel Papadakis and Madison Hubbell challenged the heteronormative codes of figure skating when they p
When drugs become a sensation
Apr 2, 2025
Hundreds of confiscated cocaine packages are piled up on the floor, guarded by armed police: images like this are often spread in the media in the fight against drug trafficking.
Advertising for TV series reinvents itself
Apr 8, 2025
Apple staged a surprise performance in New York's Grand Central Terminal to promote the second season of "Severance." Inside a glass cube, the actors slipped into their roles befor
The Secrets of QR Codes
Apr 9, 2025
In just a few years the QR code has become ubiquitous in our everyday lives being used everywhere from restaurants to hospitals, to art exhibitions. But what do these little pixela
A Gulf War on Google Maps
Apr 14, 2025
In Google Maps the Gulf of Mexico is now called the “Gulf of America”. The renaming decided by Donald Trump on the day he took office marks a new imperialist orientation for the US
Filming your daily grind, what a job!
May 1, 2025
Welcome to the everyday life of a typical anti-hero of the working world: TikTok influencer Connor Hubbard debunks the myth of hyper-productivity and posts his routine as an office
War propaganda: China threatens Taiwan
May 5, 2025
A video shared on Chinese social media in March 2025 shows a special military landing craft used to transport troops and combat vehicles. The spectacular production fuels Chinese p
An Underwater World
May 12, 2025
In October 2024 an extraordinary discovery was made in the South Pacific: The largest coral ever found on earth. Photographer and marine biologist Manu San Félix explains how they
Iran: Inside the Underground Workshop of War
May 20, 2025
In March 2025, the Iranian army revealed in a video the existence of a vast underground military base containing hundreds of missiles. This show of force marks a significant new st
Miyazaki, copied by an AI
May 21, 2025
In March 2025, millions of images generated by ChatGPT flooded social media, imitating the style of Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli. This seemingly ha
Video Games: In the World of Streamers
Jul 11, 2025
A French gamer broadcasts a video game session live on an online platform. "TheGuill894" is one of millions of so-called streamers who engage in this practice daily. Just as many p
Livestreaming Loch Ness
Jul 15, 2025
Four webcams film Loch Ness constantly, looking for signs of the legendary monster that is supposed to lurk in the lake’s deep, cold waters. In the last 20 years, there have been m
Foodporn: The Very Dirty Kitchen
Jul 25, 2025
Smoldering glances and cream-filled doughnuts, powdered sugar and a simulated ejaculation. These baking and cooking videos from TikTokers like "Donut Daddy" falls into a very popul
The "Karen" Phenomenon: Where Does All the Hate Come From?
Jul 28, 2025
In the US, "Karen" is a term used to describe white women who are prone to racism and believe that everything is going downhill. They have now become a symbol of the unfriendly USA
Dog Portraits
Aug 5, 2025
A photo with a wow factor: Two dogs pose like human models in Christian Vieler's studio. But in not all eras have four-legged friends been the focus of the image.
When a radar finds a lost city
Aug 8, 2025
This network of ancient cities, 2,500 years old, buried beneath the plateaus of the Ecuadorian Amazon, has been revealed thanks to a revolutionary archaeological technique. An imag
The Surprise of the Rat's Eye
Aug 12, 2025
Vibrant colors and abundant detail. This photograph of a rat's eye taken under a microscope is not only visually appealing: it aims to provide us with crucial information in medici
A Lion on the Prowl in town
Aug 15, 2025
Although it sounds unbelievable at first glance, a lion is indeed roaming through the affluent Italian town of Ladispoli. Footage of its escape immediately went viral on social med
A Tunnel, a Synagogue, and the Mechanics of Conspiracy
Aug 22, 2025
Footage of a tunnel beneath a synagogue has sent conspiracy theorists into a frenzy. The mere recording of an argument over the expansion of a synagogue is enough to send people on
Extraterrestrial mummies
Aug 26, 2025
Two small, unidentified bodies in a sarcophagus are presented before Congress in Mexico. The event unleashed the international press. But behind these images lies a story that fasc
Supermarket Haul: The Big Unboxing
Aug 29, 2025
A mother unpacks her shopping bags in front of a camera after a trip to the supermarket. In the YouTube video, the user with the nickname "MamanEconome" (frugal mom) talks about pr
The bomb just before impact
Sep 1, 2025
The image heralds imminent disaster: In less than a second, an Israeli bomb will reduce a residential building in Beirut to rubble. Israel's pre-announced bombing raids serve not o
Swallowed by a Whale
Sep 3, 2025
A kayaker is swallowed whole by a whale before being immediately spat out again. The scene, which was filmed in February 2025 in Chilean Patagonia, went around the world. But why d
The UN, the chessboard of international politics
Sep 8, 2025
On September 9, 2024, the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations opened. "With Open Eyes" examines a firmly established ritual of international diplomacy: the much-anticipated
AI: A Dead Man Speaks in Court
Sep 9, 2025
The man in question has been dead since 2021. Nevertheless, he was able to testify at his murderer's trial in 2025. This science fiction sequence was made possible thanks to artifi
Beach holidays and sunbathing in North Korea
Sep 10, 2025
Fancy a holiday in North Korea? The country has recently been promoting its idyllic beaches to attract foreign tourists. It's a charm offensive that is both political and strategic
Russia: A gas pipeline as a Trojan horse
Sep 22, 2025
In March 2025, Russian soldiers invaded the border town of Sudja through a disused gas pipeline in order to recapture it. Codenamed “Operation Stream,” the high-risk mission became
An unknown people in the camera trap
Sep 23, 2025
This image is one of the very first visual proofs of the existence of an indigenous people of Brazil: the Massaco. Revealed by the press in 2024, this photo raises an ethical quest
Taylor Swift – a global brand
Oct 2, 2025
On August 13th, Taylor Swift unveiled the cover of her latest album, "The Life of a Showgirl." The brilliantly orchestrated event was a stroke of genius and demonstrated, not least
Shein: Fast Fashion Rebellion
Oct 8, 2025
Shein has rolled out three striking posters in France. The aim of this hard-hitting campaign is to whitewash Shein's image in the face of criticism of its business model and disast
The President of Mexico Hosts Her Morning Show
Oct 14, 2025
Go behind the scenes of a unique communication exercise: every morning, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum hosts "The People's Morning Show." More than just a televised event, thi
Iran: AI, the new weapon in war
Oct 22, 2025
An Israeli bombing of an Iranian prison? An AI-generated video misled many media outlets and politicians in June 2025. Its success demonstrates that artificial intelligence is play
K-Pop Band BTS: Comeback After Military Service
Oct 28, 2025
RM and V of the K-pop band BTS are returning to fans after completing their military service with an event organized by their label. The highly publicized announcement of their com
Street View: The World as a Playground
Oct 29, 2025
GeoGuessr is an online game where players look at photos from Google Street View and guess where they were taken. Recognized as an e-sport, GeoGuessr has its own online competition
Zohran Mamdani: Conquering New York
Nov 4, 2025
Since he sensationally came from being a complete outsider to winning the Democratic nomination, Zohran Mamdani looks set to win the New York mayoralty. His campaign videos have be
Gen Z Revolution in Nepal
Nov 5, 2025
What started as a viral post online turned into a violent revolution on the streets. In September 2025 a video highlighting corruption and inequality in Nepal was shared thousands
The Great Weather Map Show
Nov 10, 2025
To mark the 50th anniversary of the French broadcaster TF1, Évelyne Dhéliat presented the weather report in front of a map reminiscent of those from the past. This nostalgic look b
Thailand: The Great Conscription Lottery
Nov 17, 2025
In April 2025, videos of the Thai conscription lottery caused a sensation on social media. Between tears and outbursts of joy, these lighthearted scenes mask a country still ruled
China hosts first Robot World Championship
Nov 18, 2025
In Beijing, a striking image shows two robots facing off in a ring during the first World Games dedicated to humanoid robots. With this unprecedented competition, China is displayi
The pirate flag, a new emblem of revolt
Nov 19, 2025
The pirate flag from the manga "One Piece" has emerged in recent months as the new banner of the revolt movements of Generation Z. From Indonesia to Madagascar, from Nepal to Moroc
How the German Army Recruits Women
Nov 24, 2025
The German army took advantage of the Women's Euro football tournament to launch its new recruitment campaign. Faced with international tensions, Berlin aims to become the largest
Pandas: What is their power?
Nov 25, 2025
In Washington, D.C., Chinese pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao melted hearts online with their endearing videos. But behind this adorable facade, China is orchestrating a strategy where s
IShowSpeed: China's New Sandwich Man
Dec 1, 2025
In April 2025, the American streamer IShowSpeed traveled to Shenzhen and praised the country's futuristic achievements live on the internet. The coup was no accident: China is de
Childbirth at sea!
Dec 2, 2025
In January 2024, a baby was born in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on an overcrowded dinghy. The image, taken by a Spanish sea rescuer, went viral and fueled the debate between p
AI Brings the Bible to Life
Dec 8, 2025
This video, simply titled "What if there was a trailer for the Bible?", was produced by the Pray.com web team of the US Evangelical Church. For the digitally savvy evangelical chur
YouTuber on vacation with the Taliban!
Dec 9, 2025
Is Afghanistan the new dream travel destination? That's precisely the impression some Western influencers give: They stage their stay in Afghanistan, shy away from no provocation,
The Windsors and the Balcony of Power
Dec 10, 2025
Four generations of the Windsor family stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in a strictly regulated ritual. This family photograph captures a moment where tradition and power
Russia: Using Music to Fight Putin
Dec 15, 2025
In the streets of St. Petersburg, young people sing along to the songs of the band Stoptime – much to the regime's displeasure. Since any form of dissent is nipped in the bud in Pu
How 'Slop' is poisoning the internet
Dec 16, 2025
Countless AI-generated videos are flooding the internet today. The phenomenon known as "slop" raises the question of whether the internet could collapse from such an overabundance
Sudan: Satellite images of a tragedy
Dec 17, 2025
For more than two years, Sudan has been the scene of a deadly conflict about which little information has been made available to the outside world. By analyzing satellite images, r