What is Astroturfing | Definition and Meaning

Last modified on Wednesday, May 8, 2024

1 minute read

Astroturfing is the process of disguising an agenda of an entity such as a nation state,^[0] political group, or corporation,^[0][1][2][3] designed to change the target audience's perception, often by promoting consensus^[3] by disguising as a grassroot movement.^[4] The name is derived from astroturf (sythentic grass), which then suggests synthetic grassroots.^[5] The grassroot aspect provides another form of communication of which the target audience might more readily accept. It is highly similar to the concept of sockpuppetry, which tends to be on a smaller scale.^[6][7]

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