Are social media comments just bots?
Bot farms, Chappell Roan and the rise of misinformation.
Chappell Roan recently faced backlash amid online chat that falsely claimed her bodyguard left a young fan in tears. But reports now suggest the entire online drama could have been driven by bots programmed to spread misinformation.
The BBC’s disinformation reporter Jacqui Wakefield explains what bots are, how they work, and what the people who operate them stand to gain. State actors and governments have been linked to specific bot campaigns in the past. BBC Monitoring’s Veronika Malinboym looks at some of the bot activity linked to Russia, including a campaign to undermine the Summer Olympics in Paris by spreading misinformation about a bed bugs outbreak.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Iqra Farooq
Producer: William Lee Adams and Benita Barden
Editor: Julia Ross-Roy
Last on
Broadcasts
- Tue 12 May 202617:50GMTBBC World Service News Internet
- Wed 13 May 202602:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only
Podcast
![]()
What in the World
Helping you make sense of what’s happening in your world.
