The raise of the robots in virtual worlds: a comparison and a framework for investigating bots in social networks sites and MMOGs

Bots are computer programs that automate activities for the human user. While benign bots are widely diffused over the Internet, Virtual Worlds such as Social Network Sites and Massively Multiplayer Online Games are affected by bots that have malicious intents, causing harms, disruptions and illegal activities. Given the diffusion and problems caused by malicious bots in Virtual Worlds, it becomes relevant: (1) to investigate the phenomenon and develop conceptual tools to capture the problem and (2) to conduct this investigation using a comparative perspective for Social Network Sites and Massively Multiplayer Online Games.

Hence, the goal of this chapter is to develop a comparative framework for studying bots in Virtual Worlds. This framework will support a deeper understanding of the problems related with bots for practitioners and researchers. The framework constitutes also a relevant map guiding future studies on the phenomenon and for the design of social and technical countermeasures limiting the problems caused by bots. The framework is composed of four interconnected concepts: automation, deception, policing and legal definitions, and is the outcome of multiple years of qualitative research on a number of case studies: the Massively Multiplayer Online Games Tibia and Runescape and the Social Network Sites Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Soundcloud.