astroturfing

A thought-terminating insult used to dismiss legitimate opinions that happen to oppose anti-government or anti-corporate conspiracy theories.

Person 1: Did you see organization is doing policy?!
Person 2: There are some studies that show it's a good ide—
Person 1: REEEEEE YOU'RE ASTROTURFING REEEEEEEEEE!!1!!1!1!1!1!!!!

by YahooMama March 28, 2026

Astroturf, astroturfing

A form of spamming public opinion from political organisations via the media.

Specifically where a media operation of a Campaign or political party distributes a press release to voulunteers who forward it en masse by letter and e-mail to media organisations in an attempt to distort the media organisations perception of public opinion, and distort the media organisations output.

The effort to (get) Astroturf printed appears to have worked in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

In Arizona, xxxxxx got the astroturf accepted as a grassroots effort.

by blobby December 29, 2003

astroTERFing

The use – by men – of fake social media accounts that pose as feminist women, to object to the rights of trans women to be recognized as women. See also: Astroturfing, TERF.

Most of the people defending this anti-trans bigot are puppet accounts with stock photos of women for avatars. Literal fake women supporting transphobia: typical astroTERFing!

by JAQrabbit January 23, 2019

asstroturfing

The same as astroturfing, except done so ineptly that the astroturfer makes an ass of himself.

That viral was so obviously staged; I hate it when companies start asstroturfing.

by NTUK November 18, 2009

astrosmurfing

the practice of creating or promoting a fake slang term for marketing purposes, especially with the use of seemingly impropmtu celebrity sponsorship. Astrosmurfing is derived from the terms Astroturfing, which means fake grassroots participation, and smurf, which is a catchall term used by Smurfs (of the Belgian comic and television franchise of the same name).

Taco Bell paying Kim Kardashian to adopt hashtag "on fleek" would diminish the term to little more than an example of cheap astrosmurfing.

by attenuatingloop November 4, 2015