▁affect ing ▁their ▁market ing ▁data ▁causing ▁a ▁" dig ital ▁can n ib al ism " ▁in ▁social ▁media ▁market ing . ▁Additionally , ▁some ▁b ots ▁viol ate ▁the ▁terms ▁of ▁use ▁on ▁many ▁social ▁medium s ▁such ▁as ▁Inst agram , ▁which ▁can ▁result ▁in ▁profiles ▁being ▁taken ▁down ▁and ▁b anned . ▁ ▁" Cy borg s ", ▁a ▁combination ▁of ▁a ▁human ▁and ▁a ▁bot , ▁are ▁used ▁to ▁spread ▁fake ▁news ▁or ▁create ▁a ▁market ing ▁" bu zz ". ▁Cy borg s ▁can ▁be ▁bot - ass isted ▁humans ▁or ▁human - ass isted ▁b ots . ▁An ▁example ▁is ▁a ▁human ▁who ▁registers ▁an ▁account ▁for ▁which ▁they ▁set ▁autom ated ▁programs ▁to ▁post , ▁for ▁instance , ▁twe ets , ▁during ▁their ▁absence . ▁From ▁time ▁to ▁time , ▁the ▁human ▁particip ates ▁to ▁twe et ▁and ▁interact ▁with ▁friends . ▁ ▁Cy borg s ▁make ▁it ▁easier ▁to ▁spread ▁fake ▁news , ▁as ▁it ▁bl ends ▁autom ated ▁activity ▁with ▁human ▁input . ▁When ▁the ▁autom ated ▁accounts ▁are ▁public ly ▁identified , ▁the ▁human ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁cy borg ▁is ▁able ▁to ▁take ▁over ▁and ▁could ▁protest ▁that ▁the ▁account ▁has ▁been ▁used ▁manually ▁all ▁along . ▁Such ▁accounts ▁try ▁to ▁pose ▁as ▁real ▁people ; ▁in ▁particular , ▁the ▁number ▁of ▁their ▁friends ▁or ▁follow ers ▁should ▁be ▁res emb ling ▁that ▁of ▁a ▁real ▁person . ▁ ▁Pat ents ▁of ▁social ▁media ▁technology ▁ ▁There ▁has ▁been ▁rapid ▁growth ▁in