Astroturfing

Astroturfing is the deceptive presentation of centrally funded or directed advocacy as spontaneous public support, often through fabricated grassroots groups, coordinated messaging, or concealed sponsorship.

Front group: An organization that conceals the interests or identity of the people or institutions directing it. Front groups give astroturf campaigns an apparently independent organizational voice.
Grassroots lobbying: Political advocacy that seeks to influence officials by mobilizing members of the public to contact them. Astroturfing imitates this legitimate form of public mobilization while concealing its direction.
Tobacco industry: The businesses that grow, process, and sell tobacco products. Tobacco companies supported ostensibly independent voices to oppose regulation and defend smoking.
Grassroots movement: A political or social movement built through participation originating among ordinary people. Unlike astroturfing, a genuine grassroots movement is not presented as spontaneous while secretly directed by sponsors.
Media manipulation: The deliberate shaping of media content or attention to influence public understanding. Astroturf campaigns can steer coverage by making a sponsored position appear widely held.
Sockpuppet: A false online identity used to conceal its operator or misrepresent a person’s participation. Sockpuppet accounts make centrally coordinated advocacy look like many individual voices.
Lobbying: Efforts to influence public officials, legislation, or government policy on behalf of particular interests. Astroturfing often serves lobbying goals while obscuring who is pressing them.
Global Climate Coalition: A group of businesses and trade associations formed to challenge policies addressing climate change. Its corporate backing made its public advocacy a prominent case in debates about astroturfing.
Advocacy group: An organization that seeks to influence public policy or opinion on a defined issue. An advocacy group can openly represent its interests without practicing astroturfing.
Agenda-setting theory: A theory that media influence what people consider important by shaping the prominence of issues. Manufactured displays of support can make selected issues appear more publicly urgent.

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