Its irritating that content creators, of all forms, are making money on engagement that isnt real. Fake consensus shaping narratives and perceptions is very effective especially on young people and im genuinley concerned. ~66% of engagment on hot button issues being artificial is a huge problem.
ChatGPT:
There isn’t one definitive number, because “artificial engagement” includes several different things:
- fully automated bots
- fake followers/likes/comments bought from click farms
- coordinated engagement groups (“pods”)
- AI-assisted accounts run partly by humans
- spam amplification systems
- inactive or zombie accounts inflating metrics
But most serious research lands in a broad range:
- Roughly 10–20% of social media accounts are estimated to be fake, bot-operated, or primarily inauthentic. (Nature)
- In influencer ecosystems specifically, studies often find 15–40% of engagement or followers showing suspicious or artificial patterns. (SociaVault)
- On highly politicized or viral topics, bots can dominate amplification. One Pew study estimated 66% of tweeted links to popular websites were shared by suspected automated accounts. (Pew Research Center)
So if you’re asking:
“What percentage of what I see online is artificially amplified?”
A realistic answer is:
- probably a meaningful minority overall
- and on some topics/platforms, possibly the majority of visible engagement
Especially in:
- politics
- crypto
- celebrity fandoms
- outrage content
- influencer marketing
- “viral” culture-war posts
- scam advertising
Why platforms permit it comes down to incentives.
1. Engagement = revenue
Social platforms make money from:
- ad impressions
- time-on-platform
- growth metrics
- investor perception
Artificial engagement still boosts:
- trending activity
- viewing time
- perceived popularity
- ad inventory
Even fake engagement can help make a platform look alive.
2. Detection is genuinely difficult
Modern bots no longer look like obvious spambots. Many are:
- partially human-operated
- AI-assisted
- coordinated through real accounts
- designed to imitate normal behavior
Researchers note that even humans are bad at detecting bots. (Sage Journals)
3. Platforms fear false positives
If a platform aggressively removes suspicious accounts:
- real users get banned accidentally
- creators get angry
- engagement numbers drop
- accusations of bias appear
So companies often tolerate a “background level” of fake activity.
4. Some artificial activity is actually useful to platforms
Not all bots are malicious:
- customer-service bots
- recommendation systems
- automated posting tools
- marketing automation
- news alerts
The line between “automation” and “manipulation” is blurry.
5. The industry became structurally dependent on inflated metrics
Influencer marketing, political campaigning, and even journalism often rely on:
- follower counts
- impressions
- virality metrics
There’s a huge economic ecosystem around manufactured social proof.
Some estimates put influencer fraud losses in the billions annually. (Fake Follower Checker)
The deeper issue is that social media ranking algorithms reward engagement signals, not truth or authenticity. If outrage, bot swarms, or fake comments trigger the algorithm, the system often amplifies them before moderation catches up.
That’s why many researchers now argue that modern social media is less a reflection of public opinion and more a competition between amplification systems — some human, some artificial.
..Which I do... then you also believe patriots are in control of the news cycle. Don't give credence to the sensational, lads. EVERYDAY its something new. Its not meant to be understood, its meant to be distracting. Three things for certain: keep your eyes and ears on your family, your local community, and God. Its a winning combination every time. Don't get into spats with people over things that simply can not be proven or disproven in a tangible way. Life is good. Have a great weekend and keep the smile on!
Go easy fellas. We are all well aware of our part to play, yet sometimes its easy to fall back into the trap. They are driving the collective consciousness like a magic spell, like a demonic artist on stage at a concert. They report, the masses react. I believe we are going through a worldwide distraction campaign, and everything reported on mainstream, plays into it. Nothing being reported is 100% as it seems, even if it comes from "our guys." The political nature of the administration is getting pretty cringe too. DEMS this, DEMS that. EVERYTHING is very divisive, and at the end of each daily theme, questions are always left unanswered.
Sex crimes, war, space, corruption. Its like HBO is writing this screenplay. Everyone hyper focused on screens, constantly.
Outside of the obvious profit model of the daily news cycle, are we still to believe everything is a movie? How do we discern truth from fiction? Its a difficult and tumultuous landscape, these last 10 years. I mentioned before, its hard for me to even take a stance on everything happening. Its too much.
Still, my own daily life is left unaffected, aside from the increased price of fuel, gas, food, and fertilizer. Anyway, id love a little discussion. Oh, and fox news is gayer than ricky martin.
Thanks lads.
Later this morning i am heading out to finish up a welding project on a skid sprayer. My welding experience has room to grow, and my father in law and his brother enjoy helping with stuff like this, and are generally my go-to guys. My father spends half the year in Arizona, so these guys are my squad now for activities like this. They are both very capable, very intelligent when it comes to "man stuff." One is a retired master carpenter, the other a retired project manager at various nuclear locations around the country. Smart guys you could say. BUT....they have CNN and MSNBC in the background constantly like a gosh dang airport. Lucky for me, the mainstream whimsies are quite easy to argue away. I'm always left dumbfounded at their reasons for siding with all the trans and illegals and criminals. They have a "no he didnt" response to nearly everything i say regarding DJT. Tough guys to debate with. Its always friendly, being that I'm married to one of their daughters. I was able to articulate some stuff that i hope they reflected on later. My FIL brother said "why do you care about trans stuff there's only 10 of them, it doesn't affect you." I made him realize that it DOES affect me once it turns into policy. I have two young daughters. "So yes i am very anti trans and gay when it has to do with my children, its gross and you know it."
I already know what I'm in for today, its no mystery. I'm going to have to defend the apparent sacking of Venezuela. They are going to be repeating why we should just continue letting drugs and arms flood into our country unabated. I cant wait. They are so predictable its kind of sad. My FIL is usually pretty quiet but the brother he'll just out and say it, every time no matter what. "we are all immigrants." "live and let live" These guys have beautiful retirements and pensions and assets and property....I dont have enough money to vote through the lens of empathy. I can barely afford to keep my wife at home doing homeschool for 2 kids. We are not the same.
Cheers guys.
According to a book I'm reading regarding taking all your freedoms back as a living human man or woman, and not a dead corporate legal entity [ALL CAPS NAME]..it asserts that if the company or public sector entity has a Dun and Bradstreet number, it means they are de facto private business who sells services (at gun point) The constitution only has 16 or so common-law guarantees. Everything else is corporate by-law in the form of codes, statutes, guidelines and is NOT LAWFUL. They really hammer the point of "is it LEGAL or is it LAWFUL?"
https://www.dnb.com/duns-number/lookup.html
Interested in hearing other's opinions on this matter.
ab·stract adjective /ˈabˌstrak(t)/ 1. existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence.
Epstein files, Foreign policy, Climate change, The federal government (my opinion)
Just to name a few. These topics are just far enough out of reach for everyday people to verify in a REAL physical way. A true waste of time. I believe what my eyes and ears report. Thats it.
GG
So currently, my day job is in agriculture, more specifically irrigation water quality and delivery. Outside of the department of agriculture, the state department of ecology, and the clean air agency, we are monitored and regulated by the US department of Reclamation. We had a meeting today, and I learned that DOGE has "forced" hundreds of retirements based on all the fluff in the department. As a result, I am now responsible for 10 additional miles by the inlet of our canal system. I could not be more pleased, more responsibility doesn't scare me, its all in a day's work. Nothing more rewarding than a good day of hard work.
The bureau has not gone public with this information, but it is very real. I've mentioned here before about all the fluff and overpaid people in my outfit, so it feels like a WIN having them all shake in their boots. People that do NEARLY nothing making over $250k per year is obscene. We are a corporate municipality, their fear is misplaced..no one I work with will lose their jobs over it, but they are being dramatic nonetheless. WINNINGGGGGGGGG
Steve Mnuchin--film producer and actor known for many popular works
Volodmyr zelensky--C level actor and comedian in ukraine.
Hussein and Mike obama-- signed with CAA taleny agency to represent them in their netflix venture
Kamala Harris-- signed contract with CAA talent agency
Joseph robinette-- also signed a deal with CAA talent agency.
AI is also much much further than we are led to believe, just like with any new tech or innovation. Keep an open mind and remember....we have it all. They are toast.
Best regards
Jury conviction is not the final word. Judgement and sentencing BY A JUDGE is the final word. Which was pushed back based on a supreme court ruling. CNN and the rest are spouting "convicted felon" from the mts and rooftops the last day or so. Is this actionable? Or is this part of the bigger motion picture? Thanks in advance for any insight.
So proud to have voted for the 3rd time for this man. Now....lets get after it!! Eyes peeled, still a long way until inauguratjon. Have a great day guys!!
Ive noticed with certain events, tons of infighting taking place here and other similar places. Reasonable arguments downvoted to hell. Lots of "prove it," when those same people are using msm coverage as their proof. What happened? Just like the Russia Ukraine production. The israel whimsy. All of a sudden they get hooked back in. Its never good to marry yourself blindly to one way of thinking or another. Have an open mind, good faith discussions, and be on your way. I cant help but use the approach that at the very least, everything is exaggerated. Grain of salt situation toward everything "happening" in the world. Bad people have monopolized information. But the tide is turning. They think they are the gatekeepers to all things known. Proven liars again and again, the lot of them. Stay strong booger butt. JJ
Bare with me, I heard a sounbite on the radio show i listen to that had me wondering about HIV. Its pretty "well known" that this is disproportionately a problem in the gay community. But are they using that logic as a bullet proof cover for vaccine injury? An untouchable "dont go there" type of topic? Or is it truly spread from gross acts? I know someone here will have insight.
Best regards
https://www.kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/the-global-hivaids-epidemic/
Had to share before i forgot. Just heard on the radio a little about this. What stuck with me more is the way they presented it on ABC syndication.
"New details in the 'Rust' movie set death of Halyna Hutchins who was killed by a gun, held by Alec Baldwin.."
What a poetic way to phrase it. Puke.
I work in a horticultural production facility, where we propagate and stage thousands of varieties of ornamentals. Just like most modern production operations, our equipment is driven by PLC Programmable Logic Controllers. There are sensors that pick up on dozens of different parameters. The sensors send information to an I/O module, and translates a voltage reading into any number of different values. The info is then sent back to an access point and user PC software.
Whether you are producing food, toys, plants, or most anything, PLC and its software are the new norm. What I have learned becoming certified in this software, is that it is vulnerable to outside attack just like anything else. There are layers upon layers of alarms, security options, even audible alarms throughout the facility BEFORE a damaging event occurs. For example, if i program a setpoint temperature, and the computer predicts that the fluctuations will be too extreme, it will send out an alarm and SMS/email notifications.
The consensus here seems to be foul play, and I agree.
I've been messing around on PC since the Counterstrike days in highschool. For gaming i never owned a console, was always into custom PC. I always enjoy learning new things regarding research, new hardware.
On GAW I have learned how to archive, meme, scrutinize more strictly and find better primary sources among many other things. I would like to learn more from my brethren here.
I will share a few. Keyboard shortcut basics:
https://prabidhi.info/en/keyboard-computer-shortcut-keys/
Clear cache/cookies manually:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/search?query=clear%20cache
We are all thirsty for knowledge!