Bots Gone Rogue: Exploring the Negative Outcomes in the Philippines

The prevalence of online botnets and bot services in the Philippines cannot be overstated. In a remarkably short time, Bots have become a household term in some circles after their potential effects on social media, entertainment, and the political sphere have been publicized. The conversation has been further energized by their possible effects on the public consciousness. According to several studies, misinformation and people's information quality have been affected by bots. There is mounting evidence pointing to the effects of botnets on Filipinos and an increasing need to take them seriously. We plan to elucidate the impact of bots on our local systems by discussing the findings of several papers on the subject and determining the appropriate measures to take going forward with the presence of bots and botnets in the country, socially, culturally, and politically. The existing literature has already helped determine the effects of bots at the local level. Now that the body of literature has encompassed the mentioned fields, this paper seeks to push forward further with our insights, combining perspectives from the literature.