Listener Picks: What Dangers Do Social Media Bots Pose To Democracy?
1A
NPR
4.3 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 9 January 2024
⏱️ 40 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
And the people vying to be elected will use all manner of tactics to get a leg up on their competitors – including social media bots.
Across social media sites, it's estimated that there are billions of bots – which are partially or fully automated social profiles intended to be passed off as humans. These automated accounts are often used to drum up perceived support for political candidates, giving us a false sense of how popular they really are.
Social media companies, like Twitter, TikTok, and Meta have come under fire in recent years for not doing enough to stem the spread of disinformation and propaganda on their platforms from such bad actors.
Our panel of experts explains how bots warp reality and what we know about the dangerous forces behind them.
Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find out how to connect with us by visiting our website.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Support for NPR and the following message come from SAP Concur, a leading brand for integrated travel expense and invoice management solutions. |
| 0:09.0 | With SAP Concur solutions, you'll be ready to take on whatever the market throws at you next. |
| 0:14.5 | Learn more at concur.com. We're just over a week into the biggest global election year in history. |
| 0:29.0 | And with election season comes an onslaught of ads, disinformation, and political propaganda intended to sway electors. |
| 0:37.0 | But who or what is pushing out that content? |
| 0:40.0 | In many cases, it's social media bots. |
| 0:43.2 | Across social media sites, it's estimated that there are billions of bots, |
| 0:47.3 | which are partially or fully automated social profiles |
| 0:50.9 | intended to pass as human. |
| 0:53.0 | We asked for your thoughts on bots. |
| 0:54.8 | Here's what a cast in New Jersey told us. |
| 0:56.8 | While I myself have not been scammed by a bot or a fake account, |
| 1:01.8 | I can say that there have been times when I have read something and been like, |
| 1:07.0 | is that real? Is this person real? And then come to find out I look at their profile and I start to realize this person is not real. |
| 1:15.0 | This is a completely fake person that's been made to spread a message or a narrative. |
| 1:21.4 | So how are bots affecting our elections and how should |
| 1:23.8 | social media companies regulate them? Every year we put together a week of |
| 1:27.8 | conversations suggested by you. This show is part of this year's listener |
| 1:32.3 | pick series. |
| 1:33.0 | You can find the rest of the series on our website the 1A.org. |
| 1:36.0 | I'm Jen White. You're listening to the 1A podcast where we get to the heart of the story. |
| 1:41.0 | Stay with us. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.