The sneaky art of astroturfing
The term 'astroturfing' refers to synthetic grassroots campaigns, named after artificial turf. In 2010, corporate groups used coordinated online personas to influence environmental policy debates. Recognizing astroturfing involves looking for identical language used across hundreds of seemingly unrelated accounts.
Chapter 1
The psychology of belief
Chapter 2
Digital manipulation tactics
Chapter 3
Fact-checking like a pro
Chapter 4
Spotting logical fallacies
Ch 2 · Digital manipulation tactics
renaissanceman Digital Manipulation Tactics
That photo might look real, a perfect digital scene, But deepfakes make it easy to warp what you have seen.
BETA
renaissanceman Swipe the biased headlines to discover how online media twists the truth.
renaissanceman Automated accounts mimic real human behavior online to artificially inflate trends and spread propaganda.
Fun Fact
Deepfake audio: AI can clone a human voice using just three seconds of audio recording.
renaissanceman Misleading media does not require high-tech AI; simple cropping, slowing down, or re-contextualizing can easily distort reality.
Glossary
deepfake (noun)
A digitally manipulated video or audio recording that realistically depicts a person doing or saying something they did not. In 2022, hackers broadcasted a manipulated video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy falsely urging troops to surrender.
A digitally manipulated video or audio recording that realistically depicts a person doing or saying something they did not. In 2022, hackers broadcasted a manipulated video of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy falsely urging troops to surrender.
Quiz
What artificial intelligence technology is typically used to create realistic deepfake videos?
Quiz
According to research, approximately what percentage of active Twitter accounts during major events can be bots?
Quiz
Which public figure was the subject of a highly publicized 2018 deepfake warning video?
Quiz
What tool developed by Indiana University helps users analyze social media accounts to detect automated bots?
Quiz
What is a common visual glitch to look for when trying to identify a deepfake video?
Quiz
In 2019, a manipulated video of Nancy Pelosi was slowed down to make her appear intoxicated. What type of manipulation is this?