You've probably heard of Twitter bots and how they're a problem on Twitter. On the surface, it seems like an abstract problem that you shouldn't worry much about. However, if you're a frequent Twitter user, you've probably had more interactions with bots than you realize.They've probably liked, retweeted, or even replied to your tweets. You could even be following some of them. But why should you care, what's the implication of their existence, and how many of them are out there?

What Is a Twitter Bot?

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Twitter bots are software-controlled, automated Twitter accounts that are programmed to create new tweets or interact with existing ones, typically with specific goals in mind. These goals could be beneficial to other users or malicious depending on the kind of bot involved. One thing is clear—they almost always have a bigger picture.

The big picture could be to push a certain narrative, make an individual popular, or help other Twitter users complete certain tasks that would normally be difficult or impossible to perform on their own.

Although "Twitter bots" is frequently used as an umbrella term to describe spammers or fake accounts that impersonate others, the two groups are different in several ways. Although bots can be programmed to impersonate others or used for spamming to promote certain products, an account has to be partly or completely automated to be called a bot.

How Many Bots Are on Twitter?

Illustration of a figure pointing at Bots on Twitter

Officially, Twitter estimates that the number of bots on its platform is around 5%. Going by Twitter's last reported monthly active users of 330 million, detailed in a Statista report, it means there are around 16.5 million bots on Twitter. Unfortunately, the 5% figure is a very debatable statistic.

Research by reputable organizations puts the figure much higher, with some going as high as 20%. A 2017 paper by researchers at the University of Southern California and Indiana University [PDF] puts the figure between 9% and 15%. Botometer, a platform for checking bot followers, puts the stats at around 20%.

Looking at it from the perspective of how many bots Twitter deals with on a daily basis still indicates Twitter's bot problem to be a very concerning issue.

According to Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, Twitter removes over 500,000 spam accounts every day.

For consistency, let's go with Twitter's assertion go with the 5% figure. This means at any point in time, there could be around 16.5 million bots on Twitter.

Not all of these will be bad bots or spammers. But what's the difference between good and bad Twitter bots?

The Different Types of Bots on TwitterA padlock with the Twitter logo superimposed on it

Okay, so an automated account interacts with your tweet or maybe even starts a conversation on Twitter, so what? Why should you care? Well, there are times you should be concerned and there are times you shouldn't be. Twitter bots are broadly divided into two groups: the good bots and the bad bots.

What Are Good Twitter Bots?

The good bots are mostly created to carry out helpful automated actions that benefit the Twitter community. A huge number of them are built to augment features that aren't currently available on Twitter. For example, there are good bots you can mention to help you out with some tasks.

Some of them include:

  • GetVideoBot: since you can't download videos directly on Twitter, you can use the GetVideoBot to download videos or GIFs you love. Mentioning @GetVideoBot as a reply to a tweet that has a video or GIF will automatically generate a link to download the video.
  • Remind Me Of This Tweet: once you mention @RemindMe_OfThis in a tweet and give it a timeframe, you'll be reminded once the time elapses. For instance, if you use "@RemindMe_OfThis in 6 days" in a tweet, you'll receive a Twitter notification about that tweet in 6 days.
  • Thread Reader App: reading long threads on Twitter can be complicated, especially when they're mixed with replies. Mentioning @threadreaderapp with the "unroll" keyword can help you package long Twitter threads in a more readable form.

There are dozens of helpful bots like this on Twitter. If you're up for it, you can even learn how to build your own Twitter bot. For this group of bots, you probably shouldn't be too concerned.

What Are Bad Bots on Twitter?

What are Twitter Bots

Apart from the good bots, Twitter also has bots created with malicious intentions. This is the type of bot you should be very concerned about. But why?

One of the main reasons people create malicious bots is to spread misinformation or maliciously promote a person or product. They may also try sway public opinion with disinformation around important political or global issues.

From events like the US elections to conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine War, you'll find a lot of bots trying to influence public opinion by spreading disinformation.

Bots are also used to counter negative publicity or artificially inflate the importance or value of a product. Perhaps one of the highest profile beneficiaries of these bots is Elon Musk, who has vowed to clear Twitter of bots if he takes over the company.

According to the Washington Post, Twitter bots have been deployed to create favorable opinions about Tesla and boost its shares whenever the electric-car maker runs into bad publicity. These are just a few examples of how Twitter bots can mislead by creating artificial opinions that do not represent reality on the ground.

In summary, bad bots don't disclose that they're bots and are used to spread disinformation or inflame public sentiment around certain issues. They also spam users, link to scams, or artificially create trending topics and hashtags through coordinated action.

Do Twitter Bots Matter?

Twitter's bot numbers matter depending on how many accounts can be classified as malicious. Let's say, for instance, one malicious actor controls 30,000 bots and gets them to talk about something either negatively or positively. The multiplier effect and the buzz they'll be able to create is enough to convince people to say, "Oh, look, this stuff is quite popular, everyone is saying the same thing, so it must be true".

Arguments regarding the number of bots on Twitter are at the center of the dispute between Twitter and Elon Musk. It's scary to think that you may have opinions manipulated by bot brigades. It's subtle, but it works and that's a problem.

Since Twitter is more or less a town square, false information from there can leak into the larger internet community. If you get bombarded with a certain narrative long enough systematically, it's easy to be sold "propaganda" on certain issues. As a result, what you believe to be a popular opinion and the truth, could be the opinion fed to you by bots operated by people with malicious interests. If you're wondering how to tell good bots from bad ones, Twitter has certain labels to help you identify good bots.

What Can You Do About Twitter Bots?

Unfortunately, there's very little you can do to stop bots on Twitter as a user. You have the option of creating awareness in your capacity and reporting accounts that seem suspicious or spread misinformation.

In order to avoid falling victim to engineered opinions spread by bots, take comments and opinions you see on social media with caution. Remember, Twitter bots may seem like a made-up problem, but if you use the platform, you should take steps to protect yourself.