ABSTRACT

This chapter explores bots as a form of networked self-expression. It interviews bot makers to better understand the processes and relationships that determine the shape of automated technologies. Thinking of bots as proxies means to consider them more than a mask for a user, but less than a fully independent sentient entity. Bot makers defined the success of their bots in two ways: intention and attention. For some bot makers, the intention of their bots was practical. Bots extend people's abilities to rally volunteers, gather signatures for political petitions, or translate across language barriers on social networks. Success is based on what a bot achieves, relative to what its creator wanted it to do. Bot makers often spoke of bots as a "tool" and compared them to "paintbrushes" or "instruments. Intention and attention make bots more than a tool or set of commands; it makes them exceed their automation.