Astroturfing in Social Media Marketing

Kimberly Newton - 

kn499218@ohio.edu

Defining Astroturfing

A big problem society faces as it grows more technologically advanced is the use of terms and phrases that many people do not know. It seems like each year there are more buzz words to learn and define to really understand the internet and social media. How can the public be aware of potentially destructive online policies if we do not explain them in a simple manner?

One of these buzz words that has become quite popular is astroturfing. Astroturfing is a part of the dark side of social media marketing, away from the more happy side of sharing pictures of dogs and memes. 

Astroturfing, according to The Guardian, is "the use of sophisticated software to drown out real people on web forums." Even that definition could be very confusing to some people, so let's break it down. 

A pyramid diagram showing the different levels of astroturfing and internet marketing, provided by edstechreport2.

    The Writers For Hire explained astroturfing in a very simple analogy. 

Social media can be used to share recommendations, write reviews and strangers letting you know whether a store/product was good or bad. For example, if your neighbor told you about a great pair of jeans they just bought from a store. You might be inclined to go buy those jeans because you trust them, and at the end of the day, we are all influenced by those around us. 

Now, imagine if every time your neighbor recommended you something, they got paid. Maybe they were getting paid to bash the competitor company. That would not feel as trustworthy, would it?

That is astroturfing. Sharing feedback or giving recommendations is the "legitimate social media" and it is a "way for all of us to share our favorite things and do some research before we make a decision," according to The Writers For Hire. 

The darker side of social media that makes you almost feel lied to is when individuals advertise a product to you for their own gain, when they might hate that product anyways. 

George Monbiot, in his article for The Guardian, wrote about being contacted by a whistleblower with information on astroturfing. Monbiot wrote, "he posed as a disinterested member of the public ... or, to be more accurate ... he used 70 personas, both to avoid detection and to create the impression there was widespread support for his pro-corporate arguments." This is the reality of astroturfing. Anyone could be persuaded to buy a product or service based off of false claims from fake profiles or dishonest reviews. 

How Do We Combat It? 

It seems like the public is getting more and more fed up with dishonesty in the media. From fake news to astroturfing, who can they trust at this point? The sad reality is that as technology continues to advance, there is more room for tricks and secrets in news, advertising, PR and social media. 

It is frustrating to some degree being told that it is your job to sift through the content you consume. However, that is the reality. Going back to the former analogy, it's like life. 

You have to decide who you will trust in your family, workplace or even on the street. When watching the news or consuming any kind of media on the internet, you must decide if you fully trust it or not by doing your own research. Legislation and policies may come into play, like putting "#ad" or "#sponsored" in captions, but it is important for individuals to stay vigilant.