This episode explores the prevalence of bots on the internet, challenging the claim that over half of all internet traffic originates from bots. Against the backdrop of the "dead internet theory," the discussion investigates the various types of bots, differentiating between malicious bots involved in activities like denial-of-service attacks and data theft, and beneficial bots such as web crawlers used by search engines. More significantly, the podcast clarifies that the 50% figure cited by a cybersecurity company, Imperva, refers to website requests made by these hidden bots, not the visible content users interact with on social media. For instance, the discussion highlights the difficulty in accurately quantifying bots across the entire internet due to the lack of a central data source and the diverse nature of bot activity. As the discussion pivoted to social media, the podcast examines the impact of bots on platforms like Twitter, citing estimates of bot prevalence ranging from 5.3% to 33%, depending on the methodology and source. This variability underscores the challenges in obtaining a reliable figure and the ongoing arms race between social media companies and bot developers. Ultimately, the episode concludes that while bots significantly impact the internet, precisely quantifying their presence remains elusive, highlighting the complexity of the issue and its implications for the digital landscape.
