Analysis of technological changes in social robots

Social robot is a new product of algorithm development , It creates more possibilities while promoting social change ,“ technology + social contact ” The dual attributes of the network make it possible to go deep into each node of the Internet , Provide power for the organization and optimization of social network space from the micro level . The governance advantages of social robots are reflected in refinement 、 Flexibility and humanization .

however , Social robots spread false information 、 Inciting cyber violence 、 Invasion of network privacy, etc , It brings about democracy and the rule of law 、 A series of social problems at the moral and ethical level , It has brought new problems to social governance .

Satisfying social connection or increasing emotional manipulation ？ With the gradual improvement of human-computer interaction experience , Robots can be substitutes for human companions , So that people who suffer social isolation can create so-called super social or false relationships with them , Shift feelings of loneliness and social deprivation , Meet the instinctive needs of human beings to connect with society .

however , There is a natural imbalance between virtual artificial emotion and real and rich human emotion , If human beings form social robots “ One dimensional emotion ” rely on , It will lead to a series of potential ethical risks . for example , Humans interact with social robots , May indulge in self deceiving emotions , Stay away from “ real ” Social relations of . Escape from social responsibility , Waste your valuable life .

Promote information dissemination or spread false information ？

Social robots are more than simply spreading , You can also classify the users you contact , So as to put different types of content more targeted , Achieve more ideal communication effect . In health discussions , Social robots have been used for quick reporting of epidemic news , With the prevalence of COVID-19 in the world , Social robots release a large number of epidemic developments around the world , Objectively, it plays a role in spreading news .

But the characteristics of large-scale diffusion and accurate communication , It is also very easy to be used by people with ulterior motives , Lead to false news 、 The spread of hate speech . For example, social robots can quickly expand the spread range and efficiency of political figures' speeches , Through a specific algorithm to achieve mass production of information 、 Reproduction and dissemination , But with the rapid diffusion, there is a lack of content control .

The danger of social robots is that they send content without verification , Thousands of social robots work together , It has promoted the exponential growth of false information on the platform . Reach event “ The hype ”、 The purpose of interfering with the market and even political activities . Promote the democratization of propaganda or expand inequality ？ Compared with traditional propaganda , Social robots greatly reduce the cost of publicity , Make propaganda no longer the privilege of the elite , Empowering ordinary people to use digital automation to shape political discourse , People spread information through the loudspeaker effect 、 Raise your voice , So that digital publicity “ Democratization ”.

however , At present, it is very easy to manipulate and spread false information , However, the existing methods to detect and stop the spread of false information are inadequate , So this kind of influence “ Democratization ” Not necessarily conducive to democracy , It also correspondingly increases the difficulty of governance .

Besides , Social robots are not available to everyone , The barriers of technology and capital block the use of ordinary users . If social robots are allowed to exist , The field of public opinion will become a arena for the powerful , The voice of ordinary users is more difficult to make . The will of the manipulator behind the political robot will be amplified , The exposure of users who lack capital and technology is relatively low .

for example , When false information is largely supported by automation , Produce a kind of “ Pseudo grassroots movement ” The phenomenon . The Internet “ Pseudo grassroots movement ” yes “ An artificial 、 Deceptive 、 Strategic top-down Internet activities , Initiated by political actors , Imitate the bottom-up activities of autonomous individuals ”. This carefully fabricated public opinion support will mask the real public opinion .

meanwhile , Machine learning algorithms used by social robots , Usually in the interaction with human beings , It is not limited to the algorithm model embedded by the programmer . This makes it easy to be seen in the sea of Internet knowledge “ Teach bad ”, Absorb the prejudices inherent in human society , Solidify the social structure , Increasing social inequality .

Promote public discussion or disturb the public opinion ecology ？ Social robots can, to some extent, increase the types of information users are exposed to , Reduce information bias , Increase the possibility of public discussion , It solves the problem that it is difficult for media reports to reach the audience , Help break the information cocoon . Political robots can also increase opportunities for interaction between political institutions and Internet users , Let netizens collect political information more effectively . Social robots can also increase topic exposure , Increase user participation in major political events .

But on the other hand , If “ Social robots ” Massive release of extreme views 、 Attitude polarization but highly similar to human language , Thoughts of other interlocutors 、 attitude 、 Emotion and so on have obvious influence and stimulation , This will destroy the normal pattern of exchange and transmission of opinions .
Users realize that they are interacting with social media robots , It will also generate a sense of mistrust of social platforms , And began to communicate cautiously with external users , It leads to the lack of trust between human users and users on social networks , It poses a serious threat to the healthy development of social network ecology .

How to deal with the harm brought by the publicity of computing . Technological iteration gives citizens the right to speak freely , It also brings “ Pseudo democracy ”. Realize the benign operation of the social public opinion field , It requires the cooperation of multiple global actors .

user ： From passive operators to invisible gatekeepers . Active human users in the social media space , It is the propaganda object of social robot operators . Therefore, cultivate the algorithm literacy of users , It has become the fundamental policy to reshape the benign public opinion environment . Algorithmic literacy （Algorithmic Literacy） It means that users can be aware of the existence of algorithms in their lives , And when and where the algorithm is presented , And to prevent the biased cognition brought by the algorithm .

Users first need to correctly recognize the existence of social robots in social media , Understand the operation logic and behavior characteristics behind social robots . In the information processing of social public opinion Events , Algorithmic literacy can help users accurately judge machine accounts , Users can also report false news and machine accounts through social platforms , So as to become an invisible gatekeeper in the social communication of intelligent media .

The media ： From News Publisher to information annotator . When spreading information on overseas social media , Compared with the general press release , More attention should be paid to responding to public opinion concerns in a timely manner , Actively carry out fact verification and press release , For some untrue or rumored information , We need to use anti rumor strategies to snipe at the manipulation of public opinion by social robots .

When communicating through overseas social media , We can use the idea of public diplomacy for reference , Promote the diversification of external communication subjects , Promote multi-level on social platforms 、 Multi way conversational interaction , To reduce the manipulative impact of social robots on social media users . Of course , This also requires us to strengthen the professionalism of China's information dissemination 、 Enhance credibility ; At the same time, from the concept 、 From policy to thinking 、 In terms of framework, reform and improve external communication .

in summary , With the development of artificial intelligence technology , The ecology of social media is being transformed from “ people ” The dominant becomes “ people + Social robots ” The symbiotic state of , Social robots have become embedded in our politics , Economic and social life , We have been unable to announce its withdrawal , Human computer interaction must also represent the trend in the long river of technological development , We should accept the reality of man-machine coexistence , Then from the discussion “ Whether it should coexist with social robots ” The problem turns into “ How to coexist with social robots ” The problem of .