research-article

The Social Roles of Bots: Evaluating Impact of Bots on Discussions in Online Communities

Authors:

Joseph Seering,

Juan Pablo Flores,

Jessica HammerAuthors Info & Claims

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 2, Issue CSCW

Article No.: 157, Pages 1 - 29

https://doi.org/10.1145/3274426

Published: 01 November 2018 Publication History

Abstract

Bots, or programs designed to engage in social spaces and perform automated tasks, are typically understood as automated tools or as social "chatbots." In this paper, we consider their place alongside users in the emerging social ecosystem of audience participation platforms, through the application of Structural Role Theory. We perform a large-scale analysis of activity levels of user-designed bots on Twitch, finding that they communicate at a much greater rate than any other type of user. We build on a classification scheme derived from prior literature on bot functionalities to identify the roles bots play on Twitch, how these roles vary across different types of Twitch communities, and how users engage with them and vice versa. We conclude with a discussion of what roles are missing and where opportunities lie to re-conceptualize and re-design bots as social actors who help communities grow and evolve.

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Bonnefon JRahwan IShariff A(2024)The Moral Psychology of Artificial IntelligenceAnnual Review of Psychology10.1146/annurev-psych-030123-11355975:1(653-675)Online publication date: 18-Jan-2024
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-030123-113559
Di Marco NBrunetti SCinelli MQuattrociocchi W(2024)Post-hoc Evaluation of Nodes Influence in Information Cascades: The Case of Coordinated AccountsACM Transactions on the Web10.1145/3700644Online publication date: 17-Oct-2024
https://doi.org/10.1145/3700644
Berkel NPohl H(2024)Collaborating with Bots and Automation on OpenStreetMapACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/366532631:3(1-30)Online publication date: 17-May-2024
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Index Terms

The Social Roles of Bots: Evaluating Impact of Bots on Discussions in Online Communities
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Empirical studies in HCI
    2. Interaction paradigms
      1. Natural language interfaces

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cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction

Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction Volume 2, Issue CSCW

November 2018

4104 pages

EISSN:2573-0142

DOI:10.1145/3290265

Editors:
Karrie Karahalios
University of Illinois & Adobe
,
Andrés Monroy-Hernández
Snap Inc.
,
Airi Lampinen
Stockholm University
,
Geraldine Fitzpatrick
Vienna University of Technology

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Copyright © 2018 ACM.

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Publication History

Published: 01 November 2018

Published in PACMHCI Volume 2, Issue CSCW

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Cited By

Bonnefon JRahwan IShariff A(2024)The Moral Psychology of Artificial IntelligenceAnnual Review of Psychology10.1146/annurev-psych-030123-11355975:1(653-675)Online publication date: 18-Jan-2024
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-030123-113559
Di Marco NBrunetti SCinelli MQuattrociocchi W(2024)Post-hoc Evaluation of Nodes Influence in Information Cascades: The Case of Coordinated AccountsACM Transactions on the Web10.1145/3700644Online publication date: 17-Oct-2024
https://doi.org/10.1145/3700644
Berkel NPohl H(2024)Collaborating with Bots and Automation on OpenStreetMapACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/366532631:3(1-30)Online publication date: 17-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3665326
Hwang SKiene COng SShaw A(2024)Adopting Third-party Bots for Managing Online CommunitiesProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36537078:CSCW1(1-26)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3653707
Vatnani VBarlow J(2024)The Effect of Individual Traits on Emerging Roles in Synchronous Computer-Mediated GroupsProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36410208:CSCW1(1-22)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3641020
Prinster GSmith CTan CKeegan B(2024)Community Archetypes: An Empirical Framework for Guiding Research Methodologies to Reflect User Experiences of Sense of Virtual Community on RedditProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36373108:CSCW1(1-33)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
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Somandepalli KSiy OJou B(2024)Relational Affect in Dyadic InteractionsExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3637206(1-9)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Cai JLin YZhang HCarroll J(2024)Third-Party Developers and Tool Development For Community Management on Live Streaming Platform TwitchProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642787(1-18)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Wang LVincent NRukanskaitė JZhang A(2024)Pika: Empowering Non-Programmers to Author Executable Governance Policies in Online CommunitiesProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642012(1-18)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Do HKong HTetali PKarahalios KBailey B(2023)Inform, Explain, or Control: Techniques to Adjust End-User Performance Expectations for a Conversational Agent Facilitating Group Chat DiscussionsProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36101927:CSCW2(1-26)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2023
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