https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3814191 Skip to main content PDF iconDownload This Paper Open PDF in Browser Add Paper to My Library Share: * * * * Permalink Using these links will ensure access to this page indefinitely [https://papers.ssrn.] Copy URL The Rise and Fall of 'Social Bot' Research 19 Pages Posted: 29 Mar 2021 Last revised: 9 Apr 2021 See all articles by Florian Gallwitz Florian Gallwitz Nuremberg Institute of Technology Michael Kreil Bayerischer Rundfunk Date Written: March 28, 2021 Abstract The idea that social media platforms like Twitter are inhabited by vast numbers of "social bots" has become widely accepted in recent years. "Social bots" are assumed to be automated social media accounts operated by malicious actors with the goal of manipulating public opinion. They are credited with the ability to produce content autonomously and to interact with human users. "Social bot" activity has been reported in many different political contexts, including Donald Trump's election and the Brexit referendum in 2016. However, the relevant publications either use crude and questionable heuristics to discriminate between supposed "social bots" and humans or--in the vast majority of the cases--fully rely on the output of automatic bot detection tools, most commonly Botometer. We point out fundamental theoretical flaws of these approaches. Also, we closely and systematically inspected hundreds of accounts that had been counted or even presented as "social bots" in peer-reviewed studies. We were unable to find a single "social bot". Instead, we found mostly accounts undoubtedly operated by human users, the vast majority of them using Twitter in an inconspicious and unremarkable fashion without the slightest traces of automation. We conclude that studies claiming to investigate the prevalence or influence of "social bots" have, in reality, just investigated false positives and artifacts of the flawed detection methods employed. Keywords: Social bots, Bot detection, Botometer, False positives Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation Gallwitz, Florian and Kreil, Michael, The Rise and Fall of 'Social Bot' Research (March 28, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/ abstract=3814191 Florian Gallwitz (Contact Author) Nuremberg Institute of Technology ( email ) Germany Michael Kreil Bayerischer Rundfunk ( email ) Berlin PDF iconDownload This Paper Open PDF in Browser Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN? Place job opening Paper statistics Downloads 1,242 Abstract Views 14,603 rank 29,112 21 References PlumX Metrics Related eJournals * Consumer Social Responsibility eJournal Follow Consumer Social Responsibility eJournal Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic FOLLOWERS 772 PAPERS 3,722 This Journal is curated by: Timothy M. Devinney at University of Manchester - Alliance Manchester Business School * Web Technology eJournal Follow Web Technology eJournal Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic FOLLOWERS 212 PAPERS 1,561 * Psychology Research Methods eJournal Follow Psychology Research Methods eJournal Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic FOLLOWERS 82 PAPERS 3,066 * Communication & Technology eJournal Follow Communication & Technology eJournal Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic FOLLOWERS 77 PAPERS 2,437 * Communication & Computational Methods eJournal Follow Communication & Computational Methods eJournal Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic FOLLOWERS 48 PAPERS 1,282 * Libraries & Media eJournal Follow Libraries & Media eJournal Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic FOLLOWERS 28 PAPERS 497 Feedback Feedback to SSRN Feedback (required) [ ] Email (required) [ ] Submit If you need immediate assistance, call 877-SSRNHelp (877 777 6435) in the United States, or +1 212 448 2500 outside of the United States, 8:30AM to 6:00PM U.S. Eastern, Monday - Friday. Submit a Paper Section 508 Text Only Pages SSRN Quick Links * SSRN Solutions * Research Paper Series * Conference Papers * Partners in Publishing * Jobs & Announcements * Newsletter Sign Up SSRN Rankings * Top Papers * Top Authors * Top Organizations About SSRN * SSRN Objectives * Network Directors * Presidential Letter * Announcements * Contact us * FAQs * * * Copyright Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. To learn more, visit Cookie Settings. This page was processed by aws-apollo4 in 0.197 seconds