The Domino Effect: TikTok Bot Echo Chambers

EECS4461 W25

Team 12

• Yusuf AHMED
• Greatlove BARIBOLOKA
• Melika SHERAFAT

A. Current Implementation State

Our prototype simulates TikTok bot interactions in a simplified environment. The current implementation includes:

• Basic bot interaction simulation
• Visualization of bot relationships and interactions
• Simple echo chamber formation tracking
• Interactive web interface for simulation control

B. Running the Simulation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12
• Virtual environment (venv)

Installation Steps

1. Clone the repository
2. Create and activate a virtual environment:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

Running the Application

1. Navigate to the src directory:

   cd src

2. Start the application:

   solara run app.py

3. Open your browser and go to the displayed local URL (typically http://localhost:8765)

C. Limitations and Future Improvements

Current limitations:

• Simplified bot behavior models
• Basic interaction mechanics
• Limited data visualization options

Planned improvements:

• Enhanced bot behavior complexity
• More sophisticated interaction patterns
• Advanced visualization features
• Improved data collection and analysis tools

Navigate to the relevant directory for each deliverable:

• docs/Deliverable1 - General Project Idea and Team Expectations
• docs/Deliverable2 - Project Proposal
• docs/Deliverable3 - Simple Simulation Prototype

Project Description

The TikTok Echo Chamber Model simulates the formation and sustenance of echo chambers by bot to bot interactions on TikTok.

Run the Project

Clone the repo

In root eecs4461-project directory, create a venv - commands vary per OS so review the linked guides

• Install python3.12
• Install venv

Go into the src directory cd src

• Create venv python -m venv venv
• Activate venv source venv/bin/activate

Install packages based on requirements.txt pip install -r requirements.txt

Run solara solara run app.py