Astroturfing
- “what is astroturfing”
- “astroturfing examples”
- “astroturfing vs grassroots”
- “who coined astroturfing”
01 · Side by side
Side by side
Comparison sheet
| Aspect | Astroturfing | Sockpuppetry |
|---|---|---|
| Is a | Campaign | Technique |
| Needs fake people | No | Yes |
| The deception | Who funded it | Who is speaking |
| Scale | Organised | Can be one person |
02 · Which one you meant
Which one did you mean?
In shortReaders who land here meaning Astroturfing rather than Sockpuppetry are usually searching for phrases like “what is astroturfing”, “astroturfing examples”, “astroturfing vs grassroots”.
Sockpuppet
- “what is a sockpuppet account”
- “sockpuppet vs alt account”
- “meatpuppet meaning”
- “fake review accounts”
03 · Which came first
Which came first
In shortAstroturfing. 1985 — Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, buried in insurance-industry-coordinated mail, coins the term.
- 1985
Astroturfing. Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas, buried in insurance-industry-coordinated mail, coins the term.
- 1993
Sockpuppet. Earliest known use of the online sense, on a Usenet mailing list on 9 July 1993; by 1996 it is common on Usenet.
04 · Read either one