A bot is an automated account run by software capable of posting content or interacting with other users. Some bots pretend to be humans, while others don’t. Bots are especially prevalent on Twitter.
In February 2018, Twitter announced changes to its Application Programming Interface that would reduce the ability of services that allow links and content to be shared across multiple accounts, which would affect bots. Yet, bots continue to proliferate. Be aware that some bots are part of a botnet, or a network of bots that tweet in a coordinated manner. These bots often share the same verbatim tweets and sometimes operate to get specific hashtags trending.
You can report bot accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. If you’re inundated with comments from bot accounts on a particular post, consider posting one comment with factual information and a source to dispel disinformation.