Information warfare is used almost every day from attempts to disable a top military networks down to even the most unsuspected means of debating with someone on a social media post. I always wondered if artificial intelligence was being used on social media to rile things up amongst users. Apparently, many bots are designed to spread propaganda on social media sites. From climate change activists to the Russian conspiracy theorists there is a bot for everyone who aims to resort to social media to convey their views. Bots have been around for years and there is no end to them in sight. Anyone can create a bot these days with how technology has advanced.
How these propaganda bots work is that they scan social media for key words like “climate change” or “Russian”. After they have found any of those key words then they search a database for responses to the issue or view being stated by the poster. Once they have the reply they post it and sometimes they even go into an argument for days with a person who does not even suspect that they are arguing with a bot. Supposedly, these comments and debates are more effective than you might think because some people are hard-core debaters. The use of profanity and belittling of people breaks down their train of thought and is quite effective in spreading propaganda around social media outlets.
So beware of bots on social media outlets. Some may be actual people that you get into a debate with but there are also bots out there, I would say to mix things up. Using artificial intelligence and bots to spread propaganda has been around for years so keep your wits and be cautious when you head to the social media to convey your view onto other people. You may be criticized beyond recognition and you may be very angry about an argument, but hey, you should lighten up because it could just be a bot that has no feelings or views of its own and it just queries a database for replies to your argument whose only purpose is to get under your skin.
