Abstract
Ever since the contentious 2016 presidential election in the United States, the influence of internet trolls and social media bots has been the subject of intense media scrutiny around the world. This period saw allegations of election interference from Russian “troll farms”, the rise to prominence of online “alt-right trolls” in support of Donald Trump, and the condemnation of the popular “Pepe” meme character as a racist hate symbol. Since then, bots and trolls have been implicated in the spread of disinformation and conspiracy theories, manipulating of public opinion, eroding trust in the media and public institutions, and targeted harassment of public figures on social media. But trolls and bots were a part of the online ecosystem long before the 2016 election and have influenced online culture, communities, and communication since the early days of the public internet. For good or ill, these controversial actors will continue to sway online discourse into the future. This chapter delves into the history of internet trolls and automated bots and examines their impact and effects, both positive and negative, on social media platforms.
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