Astroturfing: The art of faking it!

Debra Blackburn

db303196@ohio.edu

 

What does it mean?

Merriam Webster defines astroturfing as organized activity that is intended to create a false impression of a widespread, spontaneously arising, grassroots movement in support of or in opposition to something (such as a political policy) but that is in reality initiated and controlled by a concealed group or organization (such as a corporation).

True or False?

Astroturfing is creating a broad concern for the legitimacy of blogs, chat rooms, social media and the internet.  

Companies are creating imposters to oppose or support a topic online to sway the general perception of how the majority of people feel about a topic.  By doing this it distorts the opinions and facts from real people.  Whether or not we want to admit it, we are swayed by the majority at times, if everyone else thinks it's okay it must be okay. 

Picture source: Flameable

                                                                      

 

Astroturfing and Politics 

 

According to Robert Longley the following are key takeaways:

• Astroturfing is the practice of creating the illusion of widespread grassroots support for a candidate, policy, or cause when no such support exists.
• The political strategy takes advantage of the “herd instinct” of people to adopt the opinions of the majority.
• Astroturfing campaigns may be orchestrated by corporations, lobbyists, labor unions, nonprofits, or activist organizations. They may also be undertaken by individuals with personal agendas or by highly organized groups.
• While there are laws in the United States against astroturfing in commercial advertising, they do not apply to political advertising. 

 

 Astroturfing for Reviews

 This technique can be used to to leave reviews for a product or company. Either good or bad the public uses reviews to form opinions and make judgments.  Bombarding a persons email with information from a company or to show support is another way that astroturfing can impact us without our knowledge.

The Ted Talk below describes how the news has transitioned from facts to entertainment based on the audience.  

Conclusion:

I believe we must be responsible to fact check the information we are receiving and searching.  With the ability to produce negative or positive support with the click of a few buttons frightens me about the longevity of our democracy.  This is corruption at its best.  There has to be some type of watchdog over the release of paid information by organizations.  We are being manipulated by other countries to vote for candidates in an election and not by the candidate.  This article from The Washington Post shows examples of political astroturfing.  My advice to the consumer of information look for more than one source to validate the information that you are receiving.