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Does Reddit have an astroturfing problem? What the data suggests

312 points · 408 comments · p-s-v

  1. asksomeoneelse · · focus · HN ↗
    Niche topics like linux feel somewhat safe from bots. But the last time I checked the more popular subs.. yikes..

    When I see 2-weeks old account "Incendiary-Leg-8592" responding to a post by another weeks old user "Pivotal-Kitchen-0498", I have a hard time believing they are humans behind them.

    1. duxup · · focus · HN ↗
      Maybe some niche subs are safe-ish from targeted bots, but I'm seeing some niche subs constantly hit by bots who misunderstand what the sub is actually about and post something that maybe matches the words of the sub's name ... but not the actual intent of the sub. Basically lost bots, and they don't stop.

      Also the software / programming subs are just spam hell now.

      1. k__o · · focus · HN ↗
        >Also the software / programming subs are just spam hell now.

        "i got tired of x so i built y" is my entire feed. none of my niches are safe. heartbreaking

      2. someonebaggy · · focus · HN ↗
        They're not lost. They're building up a history of non-spam posts.
      3. lazyasciiart · · focus · HN ↗
        Doesn't even have to be bots. Just dumb humans who see a sub name like 'fostering' and don't bother to read far enough to see 'CHILDREN' so they post about giving away a dog.
      4. trollbridge · · focus · HN ↗
        In the electrician subreddits, it’s painfully obvious whenever something is a bot, since… nobody ever really has anything terribly positive to say about any new brands. There are a few established brands with respect like Fluek, Knipex, and Klein. But it’s mostly a community of haters.

        Periodically an account shows up promoting something asinine and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

      5. efromvt · · focus · HN ↗
        it's a little funny to see just how much astroturfing there is for some software, and how creatively it can be worked into some posts.
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