Most social media comments are probably fake

If you've ever been tempted to respond to hateful or misleading comments on your YouTube videos or TikTok posts, you might consider thinking twice before typing out a response.

It's not an exaggeration to assume that a lot of the hate and misinformation you see online is put there on purpose. It's now estimated that about half of all internet posts are bot-generated. That goes for pretty much every social media site and app you use -- from Facebook to YouTube and even Reddit.

If nothing feels quite "real" on the internet these days, that's probably because a lot of it isn't. Some of it is malicious. Some of it fulfills the entire purpose of social media from a business perspective -- maintaining or increasing engagement to keep such sites and apps up and running.

But bots aren't the only issue here. "Rage baiting" has become a common method of engagement farming on sites like X (Formerly Twitter), where certain users are given financial incentive to get as many post interactions as possible. You might be able to recognize a post like this when you see it. If it makes you angry on purpose, it's probably supposed to do exactly that.

It's discouraging to see a rise in fake accounts, posts, and comments across the digital landscape. Social media can be a great tool for connecting people and encouraging positive interactions. But many have figured out that hate, negativity, and anything that encourages such responses are potentially more profitable than, well, anything other than that.

Engagement is what many accounts are after, real or not. You have every right to give it to them, but it isn't always worth the effort. Only spend the time and energy on engaging with certain accounts if you truly feel it will make the kind of difference you are aiming for.