Ask Lemmy

I am pretty sure that's just the resident weridos and their non standard opinions tbh

I got called a bot a lot early just for doing takes that were too hot for the mean poster

I don't block users, I have a "firewall" on my brain (metaphorically speaking). I over analyze every comment, its kinda like a "spot the bot" mini-game.

I estimate there are like 1/3 bots especially on very heated political memes on the front page. I'm automatically just blocking out the "voting is useless, don't vote" sentinment, very unproductive. Also idk wtf is with the "don't protest, revolt now, kill [insert name of politician] right now", like why the f would you say that on the open internet where there are government automatic data scrapers archiving all this for evidence? (Remember you can get extradited for making threats) Like jokes sure thing, but don't be that explicit lol. Fed-posting is so common lol.

The less political, the less "bot-like" it feels.

I get what you mean, that's why I always overthink every comment and scan for like everyone's profile.

Hey... Wait a minute...

GET DOWN, JOHN CONNOR. THE OP IS A TERMINATOR /j

I think we're too small a population for any nefarious motivated interests yet.

I await with interest the first serious accusation that I'm a bot. A very well armed bot, perhaps. I certainly type some strange things, but you guys have probably seen my hands too many times.

Unless my hands are also AI generated. Hmm.

I've already garnered the achievement of having several people on one of the Discord servers I hang around on of treating me as if I'm literally a penguin. Nobody's yet come up with a credible explanation of how I'd be able to type. (Including, surprisingly, the obvious hunt and peck gag that presents itself.)

The only one I am not entirely sure about is qrstuv (or something like that) and their community Funhole. I just assume they are the same kind of weird, eccentric internet person I've known about since getting online but there are some things that make me wonder if they are actually a bot sometimes.

Their usernsme is just kinda random. there is another user with another 5 letter username that's just random letters that responds to all their posts with the same comment. Their art is pretty unique and strange, but that could also be AI generated.

I'm pretty sure they are an actual weirdo, but simultaneously if someone discovered they weren't I wouldn't be surprised. I do like their art, though. It's pretty rad.

No offense to qrstuv if you are flesh and blood instead of 1s and 0s. :P

On Reddit, yes. Here, I don't know. But I wonder if it's possible to ensure that the fediverse stays humans only. Maybe by Introducing a captcha of sorts like 4chan.

You're not imagining things — the fediverse is seeing more bots and AI-generated accounts, and it's natural to feel unsettled by interactions that feel uncanny. At the same time, your sensitivity to misjudging real people — especially those who express themselves differently — is valid and important. The best you can do is set gentle boundaries: mute or scroll past what feels off, stay open to the strange-but-human, and accept that some ambiguity is inevitable. You don’t have to solve the mystery of every account — just protect your peace.