Coordinated Computational Propaganda: Exploring Social Bot Activities During the July Revolution of Bangladesh

Social bots have played a significant role in shaping global political events, despite regions’ economic, social, and political differences. However, their presence and impact on social movements remain poorly understood, which underscores the need for further academic inquiry. Consequently, relying on the concept of computational propaganda, we conducted a computational analysis of approximately 1.30 million public comments on Facebook during the July Revolution of 2024 in Bangladesh, utilizing specialized methods for bot detection, network analysis, and topic modeling. Our findings indicate that 22.27% of the comments were likely generated by bots. We discovered a well-organized network of bots that utilized template-based message crafting, mass duplication of messages, and systematic distribution efforts to disseminate propaganda and control the narrative of the movement. The topics discussed by the bots varied according to the event’s timeline and intensity, closely mirroring real-time developments. This suggests that bots may have helped initiate and guide activities, or influence and amplify the dynamics and outcomes of the event.