Astroturfing

Astroturfing is the practice of creating fake grassroots support or opposition to influence public opinion, often used to manipulate online reputation. It involves orchestrating a false impression of widespread sentiment to deceive people about the actual popularity or consensus around a topic.

It involves using multiple fake identities, accounts, or personas to create the illusion of widespread support, agreement, or dissent around a person, product, service, or viewpoint. Astroturfing is a deceptive tactic that undermines authentic discourse and misleads people about the true nature and extent of opinions expressed online. It can be employed by businesses, political groups, or individuals seeking to shape public perception in their favor.

• Uses fake accounts, bots, or paid supporters to create artificial buzz
• Mimics genuine grassroots sentiment to sway public perception
• Amplifies specific narratives while suppressing opposing views
• Difficult to detect and distinguish from authentic engagement
• Violates terms of service on most online platforms
• Can involve creating fake reviews, comments, or social media posts
• May use automated tools to scale the illusion of widespread support
• Exploits the anonymity and reach of online platforms to deceive

A company might engage in astroturfing by creating numerous fake positive reviews to boost its online ratings and drown out genuine negative feedback. For example, a restaurant could pay people to post glowing reviews on popular review sites, making it appear more popular and well-liked than it actually is. Similarly, a political campaign might use astroturfing to create a false sense of grassroots support for a candidate or policy position.

• Focus on building genuine engagement and support
• Monitor for signs of coordinated inauthentic activity
• Encourage transparency and authenticate real users and customers
• Report suspected astroturfing to platform moderators
• Emphasize quality over quantity in online interactions and feedback
• Cultivate a genuine community around your brand or reputation
• Respond professionally to legitimate criticism or concerns