Disruptive and destructive? A typology of social bots in public relations

Janica Choong and Ming (Bryan) Wang
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Janica Choong: B2-20, Merchant Square, Malaysia
Ming (Bryan) Wang: College of Journalism & Mass Communications, USA

Journal of Digital & Social Media Marketing, 2023, vol. 10, issue 4, 312-325

Abstract: While social bots have the potential to become virtual influencers and shape online conversations about organisations, the public relations (PR) industry is largely not prepared for them. This paper provides a working definition of social bots in the context of strategic communication, reviews the use of social bots in PR and proposes a typology of social bots along two dimensions: intent and autonomy. The paper discusses major types of social bots in the PR industry and offers illustrative examples.

Keywords: social bots; public relations; AI; new technology; social media (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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