Bots fuel social media discourse about ICE in Minneapolis
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Bots are driving about one-third of social media discourse about the ICE operations in Minneapolis, according to data from PeakMetrics, a nonpartisan data intelligence company.
Why it matters: Bots can warp public perception of fast-moving events, as bad-faith actors seeking to inflame tensions spread misleading narratives that audiences accept as fact.
By the numbers: PeakMetrics used behavioral indicators — including posting patterns, content repetition, account age and coordination with other accounts — to analyze 2.57 million ICE and Minneapolis-related posts across X, Reddit and Instagram.
- According to the analysis, the bot activity was noticeable in English and Spanish posts.
- Bot or automated activity made up about 34.5% of the 2.2 million English-language mentions of ICE operations, while bot activity accounted for 36.6% of Spanish mentions.
- Of note, 97% of bot posts were reposts of other content.
Zoom in: Pro-ICE bot-driven narratives dominated X through coordinated retweet amplifications of repetitive messaging that portrayed ICE as being under siege. and emphasized property damage or vandalism by protesters.
- English bot content also amplified the "terrorism" description of Pretti, according to PeakMetrics.
- Meanwhile, bot accounts achieved massive reach on Reddit by cross-posting anti-ICE content to dozens of subreddits simultaneously.
The big picture: This level of bot activity is typical for newsworthy events, according to PeakMetrics.
- Bots reportedly played a hand in amplifying conservative activist Robby Starbuck's attack on corporate DEI initiatives, misinformation about the 2023 Norfolk Southern crash, and the he-said-she-said PR battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively.
What to watch: As AI-generated content becomes cheaper and easier to produce, experts warn it will further supercharge bot networks.
- This could accelerate misinformation and make coordinated manipulation harder to spot in real time
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