Snopes offers guidance on identifying social media bots, which are automated accounts used for various purposes, including boosting follower counts and influencing public opinion. Indicators of bot accounts include a lack of a profile picture, generic usernames, low follower counts, limited posts, and low engagement rates. Bots often exhibit behaviors such as click or like farming, hashtag hijacking, repost storms, sleeper bots, and trend jacking. To detect bots, Snopes recommends using tools like Botometer, which assesses the likelihood of an account being a bot based on its activity. Regularly removing bot followers can improve the authenticity of your social media presence.
Snopes Tips: How to Spot Social Media Bots