astroturfing
/ˈæstroʊˌtɜːrfɪŋ/
CommonFaking grassroots public support for a product, idea, or campaign.
Broader than bot farms. Astroturfing can involve real paid humans, not just bots. Implies deliberate deception of the public about where support is actually coming from.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Those 5-star reviews are all from accounts created the same week. Total astroturfing. | The reviews are fake and coordinated, not from real customers. | reddit, 2023 |
| 02 | Every 'concerned citizen' in those town hall comments is a paid shill. Classic astroturfing. | The public commenters are not real community members; they are paid participants. | x, 2024 |
| 03 | That 'organic movement' has the same PR firm fingerprints all over it. Astroturfing 101. | What is being presented as grassroots organizing was actually orchestrated by a professional PR operation. | reddit, 2024 |
| 04 | r/all got astroturfed so bad last month. Half the posts were from brand accounts. | A subreddit or feed was flooded with coordinated promotional content disguised as organic posts. | reddit, 2023 |
Use it when
- A campaign or brand is paying people to pose as organic supporters.
- Positive reviews or comments feel coordinated rather than genuine.
- Discussing manufactured public opinion in politics or corporate PR.
Do not use it when
- Someone just disagrees with you and you want to discredit them.
- The activity is clearly from bots, not humans pretending to be real.Use “bot-farm” instead.
Variations and related forms
Astroturfing vs shill
astroturfing
Astroturfing describes the coordinated operation of faking grassroots support.
VS
shill
A shill is a single person doing the fake endorsement.
Origin and context
Coined by US Senator Lloyd Bentsen in 1985 as a political term for fake grassroots lobbying. Adopted into internet culture through the 2000s and 2010s as online manipulation became prevalent.
- First seen
- 1985
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/astroturfingUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0