Navigating Coordination and Inauthentic Behaviour

This chapter examines the emergence, detection, and ethical implications of coordinated and inauthentic behaviour on social media platforms. It traces the origins of the concept within platform governance frameworks, particularly Meta's efforts to define and police problematic online activity, before exploring how scholars and industry researchers have adopted and adapted the term in their own work. The chapter provides a critical overview of current detection methods and tools, highlighting both their technical innovations and the methodological challenges they face in distinguishing between legitimate activism and manipulative influence operations. It also considers how technological shifts, such as the rise of short-form video and generative artificial intelligence, are reshaping the dynamics of coordination and complicating detection efforts. Beyond technical debates, the chapter foregrounds the ethical and normative dimensions of this evolving field, emphasising the risks of false positives, the silencing of activism, and the lack of transparency in platform enforcement. By situating these issues within wider questions of accountability, legitimacy, and free expression, the chapter offers critical insights and recommendations for researchers, policymakers, and platforms navigating the complex terrain of online coordination and authenticity.