While browsing the fediverse I come across more and more accounts that seem … a bit off, a little uncanny. The stuff they post seems random, their comments slightly weird. What’s going on, is the fediverse being overrun by bots? Or am I as a fanatic anti-AI person just losing my mind and seeing the enemy everywhere?

I hate the fact that I now question every interaction that seems a bit off - it seems such a stupid waste of my time and I’m afraid I might just end up blocking real people who happen to express themselves in a strange way - as a neurodivergent person I know how bad I would feel about being ostracized as ‘too strange to be real’. How would you handle this?

  • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works
    53·
    9 hours ago

    I don’t block users, I have a “firewall” on my brain (metaphorically speaking). I over analyze every comment, its kinda like a “spot the bot” mini-game.

    I estimate there are like 1/3 bots especially on very heated political memes on the front page. I’m automatically just blocking out the “voting is useless, don’t vote” sentinment, very unproductive. Also idk wtf is with the “don’t protest, revolt now, kill [insert name of politician] right now”, like why the f would you say that on the open internet where there are government automatic data scrapers archiving all this for evidence? (Remember you can get extradited for making threats) Like jokes sure thing, but don’t be that explicit lol. Fed-posting is so common lol.

    The less political, the less “bot-like” it feels.

    I get what you mean, that’s why I always overthink every comment and scan for like everyone’s profile.

    Hey… Wait a minute…

    GET DOWN, JOHN CONNOR. THE OP IS A TERMINATOR /j

    • schmorp@slrpnk.netOPEnglish
      1·
      3 hours ago

      I often rant about eating the rich. It’s because I’m genuinely angry about the situation at hand, and maybe ranting online helps with getting the frustration out without doing actual damage in the real world. Which I’m sure is exactly how the powerful intend it to be.

      • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works
        1·
        2 hours ago

        I mean this comment is not intended to say neither “never use violence” or “assassinate your politicians immediately”

        I think the internet should be used as recruitment for peaceful methods only, but, if hypothetically when you meet up in person and decide that you want to “escalate”… well… do that in a secret basement somewhere safe, not online where any plans could be easily intercepted and easier for governments to manipulate.

        I mean, for legal purposes, I’m not gonna overtly advocate violence in a serious, non-joke way, but I mean, if you decide to use force, then that’s you decision, I can’t tell you how to plan your actions 😉

        As US President John F. Kennedy once said: “Those who make peaceful revolutions impossible, make violent revolution inevitable”

        TLDR: Online forums are exactly what you described, a place to vent your frustrations. If you actually want to plan a revolt, do that IRL.

    • BrainInABox@lemmy.mlEnglish
      25·
      8 hours ago

      1/3 bots especially on very heated political memes on the front page. I’m automatically just blocking out the “voting is useless, don’t vote” sentinment, very unproductive.

      What you mean is that you find it easier to write off everyone with political differences to you as not human than to acknowledge people disagree with you.