ABSTRACT
Early computer-mediated and social media communication largely presumed social presence of human identity presentation, interaction or engagement, and community formation. Large language models and generative artificial intelligence, however, evolved into complex online spaces. Human intelligence is at one end of a spectrum using varying degrees of technology-assisted media storytelling. At first glance, social networks appeared to visually represent communication, but bot-to-many transmission turns out to lack authentic human social presence. Distorted technological meaning-making may help explain the effectiveness of misinformation and disinformation, as well as its potential impact. Humans appear to need technological help in order to make sense of public communication. Algorithmic positioning, filtering, and deplatforming, though, trades comprehensive information for narrow and interpretive social construction of reality.
