It's not just you. More weird spam is popping up on Facebook

If a strange photo has recently stopped you in your tracks while scrolling your social media feed, you’re not alone. Users of a popular platform are increasingly complaining of random, spammy, junk content showing up in their feeds. Sometimes it’s obviously fake, AI-generated images. Other times, it’s old posts from real creators that look like they’re being reshared by bot accounts for engagement. In some cases, it’s pages sharing streams of seemingly benign but random content. However, the spam can also be utilized for malicious purposes, such as scamming users or spreading misinformation. This surge in spam coincides with a strategy shift by the platform, as it moved away from current events and politics in favor of more discoverable content. The algorithm now pushes vapid, often misleading, computer-generated content, which has become a cause for concern. Bad actors and engagement farmers have taken advantage of this demand for new content and the proliferation of AI tools to create and distribute large volumes of fake images and text. The platform works to remove and reduce the spread of spammy content, but it remains a challenge to identify and address all AI-generated images without banning all AI content.