Content deleted Content added
Deltabeignet (talk | contribs) →Techniques: cut unsourced text |
rv sock of Mauco |
||
Line 11:
A form of [[propaganda]], astroturfing attempts to affect selectively the emotions of the public, whether trying to win a campaign, be the top music record seller, be the top book seller, or gain political support.
The most frequently identified cases of astroturfing are found in recent political history. The concept itself is older and the tactic was frequently employed by the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|CPSU]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
Astroturfing techniques usually consist of a few people discreetly posing as mass numbers of activists advocating a specific cause. Supporters or employees will manipulate the degree of interest through letters to the editor, e-mails, blog posts, crossposts, [[trackback]]s, etc. They are instructed on what to say, how to say it, where to send it, and how to make it appear that their indignation, appreciation, joy or hate is entirely spontaneous and independent. This makes their campaign seem "real" rather than the product of an orchestrated campaign. Local newspapers are often victims of astroturfing when they publish letters identical to those received and printed by other newspapers.
It has become easier to structure an astroturfing campaign in the electronic era because the cost and effort to send an e-mail (especially a pre-written, sign-your-name-at-the-bottom e-mail) is so low. Companies may use a [[boiler room (business)|boiler room]] full of telephones and computers where hired activists locate people and groups that create enthusiasm for the specified cause. Also, the use of [[psychographic]]s allows hired supporters to persuade their targeted audience.▼
The groups created by astroturfers frequently have names like "Citizens for ...." or "People ...." or "Taxpayers Against Government Waste". These names give the illusion of the movement's being broad-based, with the members having little in common other than their belief in the issue. Some of them have the added advantage of leaving the impression that their opposition must be "Citizens for Bad Government" or "Taxpayers for Government Waste". And many of these names hide what the issue actually is.
▲It has become easier to structure an astroturfing campaign in the electronic era because the cost and effort to send an e-mail (especially a pre-written, sign-your-name-at-the-bottom e-mail) is so low. Companies may use a [[boiler room (business)|boiler room]] full of telephones and computers where hired activists locate people and groups that create enthusiasm for the specified cause. Also, the use of [[psychographic]]s allows hired supporters to persuade their targeted audience. This correlates with the merge-purge technique that combines information about an individual from multiple databases. Companies can then turn hypothetical supporters into activists for the cause. This leads to misuse of the Internet, for one person is able to play the role of a whole group of like-minded people (see also [[sockpuppet (internet)|Internet sockpuppet]]).
News consolidation services, such as [[Google News]], as well as [[PR Watch]] and [[Sourcewatch]], have made it easier to spot such campaigns through the search of specific key phrases that bring up results showing identical letters, articles, blogs, websites, etc.
== Examples ==
| |||