3 ways to identify Astroturf and Propaganda in media messages
“In this manila envelope, the results of my insanity
Quack said I crossed the line between real life and insanity”
— Jay Z, “Shiny Suit Theory by Jay Electronica”
In this new and adventurous digital era, we get flooded with so much media content from several different outlets. While I do not remember the days when people used to read the newspaper or watch the local news channel to get information about current events. I slightly recall a time when there were not many formats one can get the news from. We all know technology is the catalyst behind that movement. Whether it’s been for the better or worst is debatable. What’s not up for debate is that a massive amount of media content exists on the web and it’s difficult to filter content that is reliable. Media outlets established a way to solve that problem for readers. The official publishing of blogs, articles, and media ads were supposed to give readers more confidence to browse content and determine what’s reliable information. While this probably worked out well for some time, it created another more complicated issue called Astroturf. “Astroturf is a perversion of grassroots”. It’s when political, corporate, or other special interests disguise themselves as an independent or grassroots movement through published blog posts, Facebook accounts, or Twitter accounts. The main aim is to give an impression that there is widespread support for or against an agenda when there is not. Does that explain Donald Trump’s lead in the election polls?
That’s another story. To be honest, I do not have the passion or tenacity to tackle Astroturf and resolve this manipulative practice. But I have 3 tips to help you recognize signs of an Astroturf campaign and avoid being fooled.
- Astroturf hallmarks include the use of inflammatory language such as crank, quack, nutty, lies, paranoid, pseudo, and conspiracy. Be very careful when you come across published content that uses manipulative rhetoric to stir your emotions and rile you up.
- Astroturf campaigns often claim to debunk myths that aren’t myths at all. Once again, the usage of charged language is very successful in the media.
- Astroturf also tends to reserve all of it’s public skepticism for those exposing wrongdoing rather than the wrongdoers. A perfect example would be when people question those who question authority rather than the authority.
Astroturf is a very serious issue, which I do not plan to tackle in my personal career or lifetime. That is not my goal here. I want us to open our eyes more in the midst of this massive content pool. There can be a very thin line knowing the difference between real life and fantasy. Understanding the signs to identify Astroturf will help us stay on the right side of that line.
To learn more about Astroturf, watch this TEDx Talk by Sharyl Attkisson on YouTube.
