Astroturfing

Astroturfing is the creation of a false impression of organic, grassroots public support or opinion — named after AstroTurf artificial grass, because it looks natural but isn't. In political and corporate contexts, it refers to coordinated campaigns using fake accounts, paid participants, bots, or organized volunteers to simulate widespread public sentiment that doesn't actually exist. The goal is to move narratives, manufacture consensus, and make a minority view appear to be the dominant one.

What it means

Astroturfing is pervasive in political social media. It's been documented in U.S. election interference campaigns (Russian Internet Research Agency operations), in corporate reputation management (companies creating fake reviews and social media support), in government influence operations (documented programs in multiple countries to manipulate online discourse), and in domestic political campaigns (paid networks of accounts amplifying talking points to simulate organic trending).

The tell is uniformity: astroturf campaigns often produce similar phrasing, similar timing, and suspiciously consistent messages across accounts that have little other activity.

How it works on Gab

Coordinated inauthentic behavior — including astroturfing — is prohibited on Gab. The platform bans bot networks and coordinated account behavior designed to manipulate discussions. This isn't a free speech issue: fake accounts aren't people exercising free speech, they're manipulation infrastructure. Genuine users arguing their genuine positions, even in coordinated ways, is different from fake account networks manufacturing false consensus.

Related terms

Sockpuppet accounts are the individual units of astroturfing campaigns. Bot accounts automate it at scale. Brigading is the disruptive version. Copypasta is often the message vehicle.