An Analysis of Relationship Between Social Bots and Echo Chambers on X in Modern Japan

Disinformation is considered to be one of the most serious global risks anticipated in the next two years, and with the increasing popularity of social media, the spread of disinformation has become an issue. While Japan has the second highest number of active X users in the world, only brief studies, such as the number of social bots, have been conducted, and one survey shows that only 5% of respondents said they were aware of terms such as echo chambers. This study analyzes the actual situation in Japan related to the spread of disinformation, focusing on social bots and echo chambers. We collected relevant data from social media on a disinformation example in Japan, which became a hot topic in the previous year, and analyzed activities of social bots and how echo chambers were formed in the timeline of information diffusion. This analysis examines how social bots are relevant to the formation of echo chambers over time. It also analyzes the influence of social bots on information diffusion and the role of echo chambers. The results of this analysis suggest that social bots may indeed form echo chambers in the diffusion of information in Japan. We also confirmed that humans reposting within echo chambers leads to greater spread of information, and that echo chambers form before the peak of information diffusion.