Cyber criminals use social media botnets to disseminate malicious links, collect intelligence on high profile targets, and spread influence. Each social bot represents an automated social account rather than an infected computer. Botnets are leveraged to increase followers or disseminate links and ads. Hashtag hijacking involves leveraging a hashtag to target a certain organization or group. Bots are ideal for inflating followers: a seedy marketing strategy designed to make a page or conversation look more popular. Botnets exist on a spectrum of maliciousness but at their core, all have one of a handful of motivations.”]
Source: https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/the-rise-of-social-media-botnets