Don't be fooled...it's astroturfing

The whole idea of astroturfing is very interesting. This reminds me of Twitter bots. Fake accounts seem to have taken over social media and that's the first thing that comes to mind when I hear about astroturfing. The fact that any system can be created to be so sophisticated that fake campaigns can be started actually get real people to follow without blinking an eye is amazing. 

It's also scary to know that it's that easy to start so many fake online accounts that are smart enough to convince people that whatever propaganda they're  spreading is the gospel. This is why we need to research and pay attention to what we consume via the internet. With so many fake social media accounts and websites popping up we've entered a dangerous time. 

With astroturfing companies can pump their agenda through online messages using multiple fake accounts disguised as real people and create a following of thousands or more within hours potentially. With the right message attached to an agenda that a certain section of people care about this phenomena has the potential to cause major harm.  

 

                                               Source: Last Week Tonight w/ John Oliver (HBO)

This can be one of the easiest ways to spread misinformation among the masses especially if it involves a controversial topic. The matter of Roe v Wade and abortion has been in the news again recently with some states attempting to outlaw abortion. This type of polarizing topic is prime real estate for those against abortion to rile up those wanting to do away with legalized abortion. 

Since the internet isn't really regulated it makes one wonder what can be done. Like with anything, the criminals or bad people are always a step ahead. But is the breaking the law? Sure, if this astroturfing leads followers to commit unlawful acts based on following or supporting agendas pushed by companies using fake accounts then maybe that's a conversation to be had. But as with most cases that bridge won't be crossed until we get to it. 

For now it's up to real people to be more attentive and pay attention to whom they choose to engage with and follow online. At this point I'm everyone that has an online profile of some sort has interacted with one or many of these fake accounts for one reason or another. We must be careful to not get too wrapped up in any movement that we follow blindly without first asking questions and assuring ourselves that we're on the right side of the argument.