Scientific Definition
Masking the sponsors of a message to make it appear grassroots.
Plain-English Definition
Masking the sponsors of a message to make it appear grassroots.
Feynman Explanation
Fake grass roots look real until you check who bought the seeds.
Core Principle
Masking the sponsors of a message to make it appear grassroots.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Masking the sponsors of a message to make it appear grassroots.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Astroturfing destroys trust once exposed.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
Fake grass roots look real until you check who bought the seeds.
Examples
- A company funds fake customer reviews to create buzz.
- Astroturfing destroys trust once exposed.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Verify the source of endorsements and testimonials.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Verify the source of endorsements and testimonials.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
A group decides on a course of action that nobody actually wants, because everyone assumes others prefer it.
Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
We attribute our own actions to situations but others' actions to their character.
We favor people who are similar to us or who like us.
Sacrificing for others without expecting a personal reward.
Disagreement grows more extreme as the parties think more about the issue.
Systematic errors in explaining the causes of behavior — yours or others'.
We accept vague, general statements as personally meaningful.
Adding the word 'because' (with any reason) increases compliance dramatically.
Behaviors spread through groups via observation and imitation.
We come to like people we've done a favor for, more than people who've helped us.
Subconscious preference for numbers (and letters) that appear in our own name or birthday.