by
Anonymous
Published:
Wednesday, January 10, 2024 8:23:10 AM
Was Social Media Ruined By Bots? The original intent of bringing people together via Social Networks was noble enough, unfortunately profit trumps purpose online.
Internet Robots / Automated Bots have beyond doubt caused more online mayhem than any one user or groups of social network users combined. Bots continue to be one more reason to join the Anti Social Media Movement as they are the agents of negative commentary and fuel irrational discussion which then becomes polarized and begins to take shape into actual beliefs which then influence behaviors. This cycle has led to the breakdown of society that everyone has noticed in the last 20 years. This is the existential threat, this is public enemy number one. Climate change may ultimately be more effective on the list of things that can end humanity but war and disease can get the job done faster in most cases. In 2024 the
facts are that we are seeing an uptick in wars globally and are still in a global pandemic because
some people have been influenced to think that they do not have to be considerate of others or value life. Both of those problems can be solved by simply following the golden rule which is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
A Social Media Bot specifically is a program that can automatically interact online and perform tasks like a "re-tweet". Sometimes that task is to interact with other users and Artificial Intelligence augmented robots are very good at these interactions. These programs (Bots) are often used to promote certain products or services but primarily to promote outlandish #FakeNews using "Fake Accounts" for the benefits of whomever profits from the spreading of such sentiment.
Social Media is notorious for fake accounts interacting with real people and influencing them. A fake account is a social media account that is created without any intention of being genuine and at one point there were over 2,200 Million (2.2 Billion Fake Accounts) of them on Facebook and almost 66% of the links shared on Twitter were from BOTS. These automated pretenders have been responsible for everything from influencing people to the point where Bots changed the outcome of the 2016 presidential elections in the United States to causing actual assaults and worse. The false information easily spreads by retweets and wall postings which are usually replies to someone else's message. When a user retweets or re-post something, it is seen as meaning that they are agreeing with that opinion and this is how hundreds of millions of people start getting the wrong ideas and why the online environment is so harsh, illogical, irrational and cruel.
The major tech companies want to project their interest and value today equals how much user data you have which translates to how much you can charge for advertising on your platform as well as your public valuation in various markets. Most people behind the Bots (automated fake accounts included in the blanket term "Bots") use these accounts to spam others and spread false information for profit but the platforms themselves use the Bots to appear more successful and engaging than they really are. These facts have also contributed to the exodus trending away from Social Media platforms. People are becoming more savvy and less trusting online and this could mean a change is on the horizon.