Astroturfing is used to influence public opinion. It has been shown to be able to alter public viewpoints and generate enough doubt to inhibit action. The term “astroturfing” comes from AstroTurf, a brand of synthetic carpeting designed to resemble natural grass. The name is a play on the word “grassroots”, implying that the grassroots support is fake and artificial.
Astroturfing can be done in several ways. Fake blogs that appear to be written by regular people can be created for commercial or political interests. Sockpuppets, where a single person creates multiple online identities, can be used to imitate grassroots support. These sockpuppets may post positive reviews for a product or express support for politicians. Astroturfing can also be done through the use of front groups, which pretend to serve the public interest.
While astroturfing is regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), often times it goes undetected.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/08/what-is-astroturfing
https://www.businessinsider.com/astroturfing-grassroots-movements-2011-9
I've never heard of this definition, that's a really cool way to put it. It reminds me of when that stuff came out about the FCC using deceased people's names to feign public support for repealing net neutrality.
ReplyDeleteI was previously unaware of this. I think that this type of advertising is perhaps the most nefarious. People may take think that these movements are legitimate, based not on reason but on a sort of mob mentality. When advertisements are blatantly advertisements, one can reason as to their credibility and source. However, this isn't so much the case with fake grassroots movements. The fact that it goes undetected is especially devastating. Interest post, Maxwell.
ReplyDeleteI became aware of this practice, from I believe was a John Oliver segment. I think that there needs to be more awareness that this stuff actually happens, and just because there appears to be a movement, there might not actually be one. This is especially true for movements that most people would not care about at all, as these are the ones that are the most easily targeted by astroturfing. This is because they don't already have a movement, and there isn't much of a counter movement either. We need to keep our eyes out for suspicious ads by organizations that are vague or for a movement that the average person would not care about at all.
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