How Social Bots Affect Government-Public Interactions in Emerging Science and Technology Communication

Social bots significantly increased the uncertainty of emerging science and technology (ES&T) information dissemination between the government and the public. We examined how social bots influence the information communication pathways and content between government microblogs and the public in disseminating ES&T. We extracted 163,562 posts in February 2023 on Sina Weibo related to the ChatGPT issue. Time series analysis and structural topic model were used to examine the impact of social bots. Results reveal that social bots have become an informational bridge in government-public communication. During early ES&T dissemination, social bots guided the government microblog agenda (GMA) swiftly and substantially, functioning as an “information through train.” Social bots selectively amplified Topic 6 and Topic 10, playing the role of public opinion amplifier. These findings not only provide pathways for the impact of social bots on government-public interaction, but also help promote the rational use of social bots in disseminating ES&T.