Gabby Piwowar
gp566220@ohio.edu
Astroturfing Explained
"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)" - Merriam Webster
Remember flashmobs? A "random and spontaneous" outburst of choreographed dancing that could happen anytime and anywhere. That is kind of astroturfing works. There is a large group of people brought together to join or dislike something and it was all orchestrated by a head person, but meant to look like it happened all by chance.
Big name brands, Government officials, and just about any other type of business you can think of has participated in this dishonest charade. Business Insider goes into details on who did what in the terms of astroturfing.
It was supposedly a pretty big deal when the Quarter Pounder was release in Japan. Such a big deal that McDonalds had to pay to increase the hype around this new burger option. McDonalds recruited 1,000 part time employees to wait in line outside store fronts to draw a bigger crowd around the grand opening. McDonalds admitted to the scandal, but clamed it was part of customer and marketing research.
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| Picture source: ABC News |
Another more worrisome implication of astroturfing involves elections and government officials. The Communication's Team for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford created a fake twitter account pre-election to help promote Ford's impact and values from a "third party" viewpoint. After the election the true identity behind the twitter account was revealed and still lives on to demonstrate the power of persuasive journalism and astroturfing.
Is Astroturfing Wrong?
From a young age we are taught that lying is bad even if it is just a little white lie. So with that in mind I think yes, astroturfing is wrong. McDonalds paying their own employees to stand outside to promote a burger is not a huge issue. They are paying their employees to support the place they work seems remotely ethical, but lines can be crossed. When astroturfing leaks over into politics, environmental, and public safety issues there can be major repercussions.
Regular citizens can be harmed from the effects of astroturfing. The ThoughtCo. explains a situation that happened in October of 2018, "Louisiana-based energy company Entergy was fined $5 million for using actors paid by an astroturfing firm to demonstrate and speak at city council hearings in favor of a controversial power plant development project in New Orleans. In assessing the fine, the city council found that Entergy had prevented the voices of real citizens from being heard in an attempt to show false grassroots support- a common danger of astroturfing."
Astroturfing is a toxic portion of media that allows for the extensive of abuse of "fake news". Some fall on either side of the fence with the use of astroturfing, but I think the turf is definitely greener on the opposing side.
Your example of a flashmob was a great comparison to what astroturfing is. I agree that it is wrong and extremely worrisome because real impactful decisions dealing with politics, environmental and public safety are being made, some based on lies through astroturfing.
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