How does allowing bots influence social media sites’ profitability?
Platforms does not get their money from one source. More people using it, more incentives for others to making bots to join, creating an illusion of tons of people are using it. More attractive for investors.
How are people’s expectations different for a bot and a “normal” user?
As I would hope for whenever calling a company and answered by a bot. I just kept repeating "get me a real person". I would say not so well, because when you are talking to a bot or commenting a bot, you will not have any ethical problem to just express what ever you want to it.
When one of us ran the program, who made those posts (me? you? the bot?)?
I would say that I am the one making the post. Even though I am not the one write the code, or the one actually sending it, but that post is only sent with my consent. Without me, the bot would not be able to send it in the account I created first.
What do you think is the responsibility of tech workers to think through the ethical implications of what they are making?
I do not think it is not their responsibility, but it is needed to be done. For example, car is invented to let people to be able to travel to other places faster, but it can be used to hit and kill people. That did not let us stop driving and riding them. Rather, with car keep developing, manufactors started to add in features to aviod it happening. We have to let technology develop first and then fix the safety issue on it.