Researchers: Nearly Half Of Accounts Tweeting About Coronavirus Are Likely Bots

[applegrove]

Researchers: Nearly Half Of Accounts Tweeting About Coronavirus Are Likely Bots

May 20, 202010:19 PM ET

BOBBY ALLYN NPR


https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/20/859814085/researchers-nearly-half-of-accounts-tweeting-about-coronavirus-are-likely-bots?utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR3bs4HbPWTNNn-8shnUYS38PSOHcZSEidql8IrjCu2jzmMOkOvUl0W1dC8&fbclid=IwAR11iokTw7aWZ6Z49RmOrdpNSipRKO3x16DPr_P00hkZrWUXZbkw9Xnn-Tg&fbclid=IwAR2nu8uW5HwsRZozNe1I3kYs_V7W6Sk3mQ5MEhZhenpRRIWO30Z74rXHXJM

"SNIP.....

Nearly half of the Twitter accounts spreading messages on the social media platform about the coronavirus pandemic are likely bots, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University said on Wednesday.

Researchers culled through more than 200 million tweets since January discussing the virus and found that about 45% were sent by accounts that behave more like computerized robots than humans.

It is too early to say conclusively what individuals or groups are behind the bot accounts, but researchers said the tweets appeared aimed at sowing divisions in America.

"We do know that it looks like it's a propaganda machine, and it definitely matches the Russian and Chinese playbooks, but it would take a tremendous amount of resources to substantiate that," said Kathleen Carley, a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, who is conducting a study into bot-generated coronavirus activity on Twitter that has yet to be published.

.....SNIP"

[Buckeye_Democrat]

1. I'm thankful for DU.

So much social media is absolute garbage that surely raises my blood pressure.

It's far worse than TV media imo, which can also focus on bizarre and ugly behavior that I'll likely never see in my day-to-day life.

[Blue Owl]

2. You said it!

[applegrove]

4. +1000

[Wounded Bear]

5. Thankfully, we have fellow DUers who link us to the tweets that matter...

I can't imagine actually following anyone on that platform.

Love it when someone links us to cogent tweets, but I'm not willing to plumb the depths of that cesspool myself.

[CaptYossarian]

3. Can't we set the DeLorean to BEFORE 2016?

Or is this Orwell Meets Groundhog Day?

[Doodley]

6. Many on Trump's Twitter feed.