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What percentage of Reddit users are bots or foreign bad actors? (lemmy.sdf.org)

submitted 1 week ago by slowmotionrunner@lemmy.sdf.org to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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It probably seems weird asking this on Lemmy, but of course posting this on Reddit would get banned or taken down. Reddit doesn’t like being critical of Reddit. Anyways….

Over the last 10 years as a Reddit user I’ve believe the amount of accounts that are bots or foreign bad actors has tipped past 50%. I have no statistics to speak of, but would love if somebody did and could share.

Based purely on some of the conversations, posts, rage bait, strong ideologies, etc… I’m pretty convinced that a reasonable sample of humans could not or would not act the way they do on that platform. So often now I see posts that I feel are specifically attempting to sow discord and disagreement.

Does anyone else agree? What percent of users do you think are bots? Foreign bad actors?

Sadly, I think Reddit has no desire to find out or do anything about it. There would be no upside to them correcting their advertising numbers.

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[–] stembolts@programming.dev 39 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Just an opinion from someone who has been around the internet for a long while. It wouldn't surprise me if most of the comments are bots. I remember what it was like to interact with humans, even dumb humans, and they aren't nearly as blatantly agenda-driven as commenters on what I'd call "visible social media".

There are plenty of people who have a vested interest in disrupting means of communication and organization and they are investing a great deal in "false idea proliferation".

My 0.02¢.

Oh, you asked for a percentage, in the popular subs? 80+%. In niche subs that don't affect the Overton Window? 5-30%. And yes, these numbers are favricated outward from my butt hole.

[–] Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 6 days ago

You take your fractional pennies and get out of here with those rough guesses I can't refute or deny!

I'd honestly be surprised if a majority of any social space was bots... However I do believe a majority of initial posts are bot generated. Especially for news based spaces. It just makes sense to plug in a bot to whatever biased news source you subscribe to and just have it post new articles every 5 minutes.

Much like the average American voter, I believe in that 50% silent users who are often forgotten. 25% active users, and that other 25% can be whatever ghosts in the system the OP is after.

My numbers are also butthole deriven.

[–] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 10 points 1 week ago

Probably on the nose.

Source: former forum user that moved to Facebook during the consolidation that moved to reddit during the monitization that moved to the fediverse during the enshitification.

I have no nostalgia about leaving sites that turn to shit or become rage bait click holes. It's just stupid time wasting media.

[–] joelfromaus@aussie.zone 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

…interact with humans, even dumb humans…

Hi, it’s me, the dumb human.

[–] Wrufieotnak@feddit.org 8 points 6 days ago

Nice try bot.