The Really Dark Truth About Bots

Why HN readers recommended it

HN commenters cite it in threads about X, Bluesky and online manipulation as evidence that bots and propaganda are real.

This is a summary from the source dataset, not an endorsement by Hacker News or the video creator.

Video & recommendation details

Creator / channel

Benn Jordan

Topic

social media bots and propaganda

Format

commentary

Level

general

HN recommenders in dataset

3

HN mentions in dataset

6

Recommendation years in dataset

2024–2025

These counts and years describe the included Hacker News records; they are not YouTube views or the video’s publication date.

From the original HN conversations

Excerpts from the recorded comments. Follow each source for the full comment and surrounding discussion.

• This video about the decline of X and the onboarding of propaganda bots explains this phenomenon quite well, especially if you follow the timeline of events: [VIDEO] Coincidentally or not, it was marked by Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter. At the end of the video, …

• This video has nothing to do with Bluesky, but I think it provides a more likely explanation. Don't let the title fool you, it covers more than bots. [VIDEO]

• Benn Jordan did a good video that covered the bots and bias on X recently. Don't know if it or the papers were submitted here before (anyone feel free to submit it not): [VIDEO]