Astroturfing is the practice of disguising an orchestrated campaign as a spontaneous, grassroots movement. The name contrasts fake "grassroots" with the real thing — AstroTurf being artificial grass. In an electoral context, astroturfing makes a position, candidate, or grievance appear far more popular than it actually is.
How it works in elections
Astroturfing can take many forms:
- Coordinated letters, comments, or reviews presented as independent.
- Hashtag campaigns amplified to fake organic momentum.
- Duplicated political ad creatives run across many pages — a pattern visible in the investigating political advertising guide.
It frequently relies on sock puppets and bot networks, and it is a common goal of coordinated inauthentic behavior.
Detection signals
- Identical or lightly-templated messaging across many "independent" voices.
- Synchronised timing and reused assets.
- Funding or organising links that trace back to a single interest.
Because astroturfing is about deceptive behaviour and origin, it is investigated the same way as other influence operations — see investigating disinformation campaigns.
Frequently asked questions
What is astroturfing?
Astroturfing is the practice of disguising an orchestrated campaign as a spontaneous, grassroots movement — the name contrasts fake "grassroots" with real ones. In elections it makes a position appear more popular than it is.
How is astroturfing detected?
Signals include identical or templated messages across many accounts, coordinated timing, duplicated ad creatives across pages, and funding or organising links that trace back to a single interest. It often relies on sock puppets and bot networks.