It’s becoming increasingly common for people to notice strange, automated comments on their Facebook posts and wonder where they’re coming from. Oftentimes, these comments come from bots – automated programs designed to interact with users on social media. But why are bots commenting on Facebook posts in the first place? Here are some common reasons:
Spam and Scams
Some bots are created by scammers and spammers looking to promote dubious products, spread malware, or gather personal information from unsuspecting users. They may leave comments with sketchy links or make outrageous claims in an attempt to catch people’s attention. Stay wary of any bots making offers that seem too good to be true.
Generating Engagement
Bots are often used by businesses and influencers to artificially inflate engagement on their Facebook posts. By programming bots to like, share, and comment on posts, they can make their content appear more popular than it really is. However, this is against Facebook’s terms of service.
Political Propaganda
During elections, politically motivated bots are deployed across social media to spread biased messaging and misinformation. They aim to influence public opinion by commenting on posts with political talking points, controversial viewpoints, and inflammatory rhetoric.
Making Connections
Some bots try to connect with real people by commenting on posts with the goal of driving traffic to outside websites or accounts. For example, a bot may introduce itself and provide a link to connect on another platform. This helps their operators find new audiences for whatever agenda they are pushing.
Stirring Up Controversy
Other bots are programmed to post divisive, offensive, or extreme comments that spark controversy and incite arguments between real people online. This makes conversations more heated and emotionally charged, furthering the goals of those deploying these kinds of bots.
Social Experiments
Researchers, computer scientists, and other tech experts sometimes release bots on social networks for experimental purposes. They observe how the bots interact and what kind of reactions they elicit from real users. The data collected provides insights into human psychology and social media trends.
Entertainment
Some bots are designed purely for entertainment purposes. They are programmed with humorous personalities and are deployed just to make people laugh with their comedic comments. Think of them like social media’s version of chatbots.
Impersonation
In rarer cases, bots are created to impersonate and malign public figures and celebrities. They leave nasty comments under the guise of the person they are imitating to damage reputations and stir up trouble. This form of bot abuse can have legal consequences.
How Can You Tell if a Commenter is a Bot?
Here are some signs that a Facebook commenter may be a bot account rather than a real person:
- Generic, repetitive comments that seem copied and pasted
- Comments irrelevant to the original post
- Posts high volumes of comments in quick succession
- Account has no profile photo
- Account has very few posts and friends
- Profile seems fake or lacks personal details
- Comments contain odd wording or grammatical mistakes
- Account was recently created
Preventing Bots on Your Facebook Page
Here are some tips to prevent bot comments and limit their impact on your Facebook page:
- Turn on post review so you can manually approve comments
- Disable commenting on old posts where bots thrive
- Block or delete suspicious accounts leaving bot comments
- Report bot accounts and content to Facebook
- Avoid controversial political topics that fuel propaganda bots
- Be judicious about tagging locations, events, and public figures
- Limit public access to your page and be selective with your audience
The Rise of Bot Accounts
The number of bot accounts on social media platforms like Facebook has been growing at an alarming rate. According to Facebook’s estimates, fake bot accounts constituted:
| Year | Estimated % of monthly active bots |
| 2017 | 2-3% |
| Early 2018 | 3-4% |
| Mid 2018 | 5% |
| Late 2018 | 6% |
This upward trend is quite concerning, considering Facebook reported 2.8 billion monthly active users at the end of 2019. Based on the percentages above, this equates to tens of millions of bot accounts currently infesting the platform.
Dangers of Ignoring Bot Infestations
Failing to mitigate the proliferation of bots on your Facebook page can have consequences such as:
- Compromised user security and privacy
- Spread of misinformation and propaganda
- Damage to your brand’s reputation
- Loss of audience trust
- Undermining of healthy public discourse
- Distorted page metrics and analytics
- Lower organic reach and diminished marketing efforts
- Compromised elections and democratic processes
Looking Ahead
Social media bots are only growing more pervasive and sophisticated over time, posing unique challenges we have yet to fully understand and address. Companies like Facebook will need to keep improving bot detection to better protect users. Page owners should stay vigilant and proactively defend against unwanted bot traffic. With awareness and proper precautions, we can minimize the negative impacts of social bots and their ability to spread mischief.