Sometimes I think we collectively underscope the impact of bots on society
A couple of examples that have been living rent free in my head lately
Cracker Barrel outrage
Cracker Barrel Outrage Was Almost Certainly Driven by Bots, Researchers Say
Doesn't that make more sense than lots of people caring about Cracker Barrel?
PeakMetrics grabbed a sample of 52,000 posts made on X within the first 24 hours of Cracker Barrel’s announcement that it would be modernizing its logo to an admittedly very plain and generic design. In that timeframe, it found that 44.5% of all mentions of Cracker Barrel were flagged as likely or higher bot activity.
Release the snyder cut
Exclusive: Fake Accounts Fueled the ‘Snyder Cut’ Online Army
A WarnerMedia report reveals that inauthentic users bolstered the fan-led campaign for director Zack Snyder’s 'Justice League' do-over.
Earlier this year, Rolling Stone uncovered a WarnerMedia report revealing that fans used bots and other inauthentic users to boost the campaign for the release of the director’s four-hour-long cut of Justice League. The bots were allegedly part of a social media movement that turned toxic and resulted in online attacks, cyber harassment, and death threats toward Warner Bros. executives.
The run of the mill stuff that hits us
Stolen accounts in the blue, blue skies
Using the Bluesky firehose to monitor the growth of a network of repurposed accounts
The profile changes generally happen in batches, with multiple accounts being switched to the same repeated biography in the span of a few minutes. Most of the biographies express support for the Democratic Party and/or opposition to Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, although four of the accounts use a repeated biography expressing the opposite political stance. Several of the repeated biographies mention a distaste for cryptocurrency and porn.
This nightmare
What else?
I can't prove it, but I'm real suspicious of every controversy involving Sydney Sweeney.
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