The Origin of the Spam Bot

A Twitter bot impersonating journalist John Ronson sparked controversy when it started posting bizarre updates that blurred the line between parody and identity theft. The creators of the bot, described as academics, referred to it as an 'infomorph' that generated content based on Ronson's Wikipedia page. Their dismissive attitude towards Ronson’s concerns about the bot's influence on his identity led to an awkward confrontation, which Ronson later filmed for YouTube. The bot not only caused confusion among Ronson’s followers but also forced him to confront the implications of online identity and how easily it can be distorted.