[alphonsegaston]

Yes, but if we continue down our current path, they will not be directed at automation itself. Instead, advanced propaganda and bot networks will organize discontent against whichever targets allow the protesters to feel temporarily empowered, but that pose no actual threat to entrenched powers. The Russians are far further down this road than the US. Go read about how Surkov simultaneously creates Neo-Nazi movements, gives money to anti-Putin protestors, and props up the Russian Orthodox Church.

https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-True-Everything-Possible-Surr...

[fsloth]

Automated stochastically generated fads and hate campaigns as political camouflage -

Oh my. In the future it's not rogue internet devices which will cause only trouble - it's fallible individuals who will create critical mass for social proof for any random idea.

Soon we can buy actual online cults as easily as stolen credit card numbers :). But I suppose this is already happening at a nation state scale, but only in the mechanical turk sense of automation. Who will be the first automated propaganda unicorn ...

[alistproducer2]

Hypernormalisation is an awesome documentary that actually covers this subject. If you've got a couple hours to kill I highly recommend it.

It can be watched on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fny99f8amM

[chatmasta]

Open source sockpuppet software seems like an inevitable equalizer in the propaganda field.