Imagine a field of grass that looks real and natural, but it's actually fake! Astroturfing is similar. It's the practice of disguising marketing campaigns or sponsored messaging to make them seem like genuine opinions from regular people. Companies might pay people to post positive reviews online or create fake social media accounts to spread hype about a product or service. Astroturfing can be misleading because it creates the illusion of widespread organic support for something that's actually paid for.
