bot farms
Automated influence networks
Bot farms are operations that deploy large numbers of automated accounts on social media platforms to artificially amplify content, manipulate public opinion, or inflate engagement metrics.
They may spread propaganda, boost follower counts, or create the illusion of grassroots support for political campaigns or products: Russian bot farms flooded Twitter during the election.
The term carries implications of deception and coordinated inauthentic behavior.
- trollDeliberate online antagonist
- troll armiesCoordinated online harassment groups
- burner accountsTemporary anonymous online profiles
- fake followersInauthentic social media audience
- astroturfingDisguised sponsored advocacy
propaganda · disinformation · sockpuppets · automated · manipulation · social engineering · spam · influence · clicks · followers · Russian · state actors · information warfare · coordinated · inauthentic · viral · amplification · hashtags
- spamspam, junk mail, spam filter, spam folder, bulk mail
- botschatbot, chatbots, botnets, botnet, fake followers
- cyber threatsmalware, phishing, hacking, virus, ransomware
- propagandapropaganda, brainwashing, disinformation, misinformation, indoctrination
- online manipulationastroturfing, disinformation, fake news, misinformation, sock puppets
- election fraudelection fraud, voter fraud, ballot stuffing, ballot tampering, vote rigging