Before buying the platform, Elon Musk demanded Twitter to provide data on fake user accounts. Now, that might seem confusing, as Twitter always encourages users to create authentic profiles. So, where do such accounts come from?
Most, if not all, of these accounts, are run by social media bots. With the bot population being such a huge deal for Elon, its impact can be easily estimated.
In this article, we will explain what is a social media bot and its key features. We will also provide a few tips to utilize them in the best possible manner.
A social media bot (or simply social bot) is a computer software designed to automate repetitive tasks on social media platforms. The type of social media bot depends on the task it performs. While some share and like content, others follow users, and some even make basic interactions in comments or private messages.
Fun Fact!
There are many bots outside social media, for example, crawler bots used by search engines to categorize pages. However, bots on social media platforms are the most popular.
Bots like such can be found everywhere, even in forums, messaging channels, and blogs. However, they are most widespread on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit.
Turns out, media platforms are not fans of such bots as they put unnecessary load on the sites and may spread misinformation. Thus, these bots are often programmed to mimic human behavior. Doing so can fool other users while avoiding suspicion from the operating platform.
However, we shouldn’t conflate every social bot as spambots. Various bots are created to ease out the daily chores of a business or an individual. Many influencers and marketers, for example, use them to automate tasks and help manage multiple profiles.
For this purpose, social bots include chat functionalities. But while they can hold a basic conversation, they aren’t primarily designed for it. There are chatbots that are software designed to automate human conversations, but they are more often integrated into apps or customer service software.
Bots being good and bad depends on the intent behind their application. Some bots are designed to facilitate customer support and service interaction, meanwhile others can be used for spamming social media sites.
Social media bots are just like any other tool – their good or evil depends on the hands they’re in. Still, malicious use of bots is heavily frowned upon by platforms.
That being said, we will focus on uses where social media bots do good. It is a more promising trend, expected to grow in the future while spamming or misinformation will continue to be fought against by digital platforms.
With the above advantages, you must be sure of the way you can utilize a social bot for yourself. However, make sure to only use it for valid purposes while following the regulations of the platform.
There are a few common variations, while some are custom-made for specific requirements. They range between ready-to-use bots and ones that advanced users program themselves. Ready-to-use bots are way more popular and don’t require any technical knowledge.
Most social media bots are made compatible with specific platforms, while others can connect different ones at once. The choice depends on your needs and budget. Here is an example for each.
The bots mentioned above are only a few examples. They all are fully automated, which means, they will not require any human intervention to execute tasks. Every feature can be easily accessed through the dashboard.
There are also some social media bots in the market that require you to provide actions once in a while. The rest of the time, tasks are done using click farms.
Even if you are using bots for entirely legitimate purposes and do not intend to spam, you will still face certain challenges. Social media platforms do not differentiate between intentions, so all accounts using bots are equally prone to getting banned.
Social media platforms use the tactic of monitoring visitors’ IP addresses. If they notice a user is breaching their terms with multiple accounts or automated bot activity, their IP address can be restricted.
For this, using a proxy server to hide your IP is the only effective solution. Every major bot provider recommends and allows integration with a proxy server of your choice.
The world of social media bots is never-ending and, thus, can’t be covered in a single write-up. However, if you are still curious, you can continue reading other articles such as https://metrow.com/blog/what-is-a-social-media-bot/
Social media bots are only known for their negative track record, affecting the valuations of companies like Twitter. However, we should keep in mind the benefits they offer to companies and influencers.
The impact of these bots only depends on the way we use them. So, if you are to use a social bot, make sure to use it right. Do not spam a user and follow the content regulations of the media platform.
Lastly, only use legitimate bots to increase the data security of your social accounts. Beware of any bot that proclaims advantages that seem too good to be true.
