Online astroturfing: How coordinated inauthentic behavior manipulates public opinion beyond disinformation

Summary

This article examines the phenomenon of online astroturfing — coordinated inauthentic behavior where entities artificially create the illusion of grassroots support or opposition. It explores how astroturfing goes beyond simple disinformation, serving as a manipulative tactic used by political groups, corporations, and state actors to shape public opinion on social media platforms. The article discusses real-world examples from recent global events including US elections, pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Belarus, and the Black Lives Matter protests, highlighting how social media platforms have been weaponized to amplify certain narratives while suppressing others. It analyzes the technical, social, and regulatory challenges in detecting and combating astroturfing, and argues that current platform policies and legal frameworks are insufficient to address this growing threat to democratic discourse.