The next six chapters then focus on socialbots within specific contexts of SNS— providing more thought-provoking, in-depth, and theoretical discussions on the blurring lines between bots and humans in the evolving social media landscape. Grant Bollmer and Chris Rodley’s chapter, for example, focuses on unpacking the concept of “sociality” on SNS, arguing that the way it is imagined and performed is socially constructed and further speculating that socialbots themselves “serve as a fluid and flexible limit” in defining human sociality online (p. 161). The chapter by Maria Bakardjieva also questions the understanding of what it means to be “social” on SNS. Referencing Max Weber’s work and other philosophical critiques of formal rationality, Bakardjieva attributes the rise of socialbots to the continuing process of formal rationalization of sociality online. She cautions that this could weaken interpersonal relationships, meaningful discussions, and group solidarities if left unchecked. The book then concludes with David Gunkel’s chapter on morals and ethics, highlighting the ethical conundrums, such as rights and accountability, of such automated software agents given their future existence and usage. Overall, the book provides a broad yet comprehensive exploration of socialbots and human–socialbot relationship that extends beyond existing scholarship in the field of computer science. The collection shines in its fascinating and detailed case studies of different socialbots and their predecessors. It also excels in its engagement with a wide range of approaches, perspectives, and theories, such as theory of rationalization and actor–network theory, to explain the existence and effect of such automated software agents on social networks and their users. Although the discussions within the book are not directly related to mobile media and might be a challenging read for those without foundational and technical knowledge, it offers useful insights that highlight the emerging trends in online human sociality within social networks. These are especially useful for students of media and communication, sociology, and psychology. At times, the conceptual understanding of socialbots seemed confusing and lacked consistency across chapters and contributors. However, this lack of a single definition and shared understanding reflects how socialbots are evolving, complex, and ambiguous in nature. In sum, the book underlines the need for further investigation of this sociotechnical entity and its associated user dynamics, especially with the inevitable proliferation of socialbots in digital media.

中文翻译：

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书评：大卫·莫利，通信与移动：移民、手机和集装箱

接下来的六章将重点介绍 SNS 特定背景下的社交机器人——就不断发展的社交媒体领域中机器人与人类之间的模糊界限提供更发人深省的、深入的和理论性的讨论。例如，格兰特·博尔默 (Grant Bollmer) 和克里斯·罗德利 (Chris Rodley) 的章节侧重于在 SNS 上解开“社交”的概念，认为它的想象和执行方式是社会构建的，并进一步推测社交机器人本身“充当了流动和灵活的限制”在线定义人类社会性（第 161 页）。Maria Bakardjieva 的这一章也质疑了对 SNS 上“社交”意味着什么的理解。参考 Max Weber 的工作和其他形式理性的哲学批判，Bakardjieva 将社交机器人的兴起归因于在线社交正式合理化的持续过程。她警告说，如果任其发展，这可能会削弱人际关系、有意义的讨论和群体团结。然后，本书以 David Gunkel 关于道德和伦理的章节作为结尾，强调了考虑到此类自动化软件代理的未来存在和使用情况，它们的道德难题，例如权利和责任。总体而言，本书对社交机器人和人与社交机器人的关系进行了广泛而全面的探索，超出了计算机科学领域现有的学术研究范围。该系列在其对不同社交机器人及其前辈的迷人而详细的案例研究中大放异彩。它还擅长与广泛的方法、观点、和理论，如合理化理论和行动者网络理论，来解释这种自动化软件代理对社交网络及其用户的存在和影响。虽然本书中的讨论与移动媒体没有直接关系，对于没有基础和技术知识的人来说可能是一个具有挑战性的阅读，但它提供了有用的见解，突出了社交网络中在线人类社交的新兴趋势。这些对媒体和传播、社会学和心理学的学生特别有用。有时，对社交机器人的概念理解似乎令人困惑，并且各章节和贡献者之间缺乏一致性。然而，缺乏单一定义和共同理解反映了社交机器人在本质上是如何进化、复杂和模糊的。总共，