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Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

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Re: Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

#22

Post by i_am_jl »

ranguna wrote: post #17
coufu wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can prob find a better explanation online, but basically faking a “grass roots” movement using bots or a brigade of users. It’s called such since astroturf is fake grass.

So organising a group of bots to influence a decision?

Less about the technique and more about the optics. Astroturfing is about building the perception of popular support. Bots pretending to be people can be astroturfing, but so can people putting up signs, people writing legislators, writing to newspaper, etc.

The idea is to make it look like support for/aversion to something is organic and popular (grassroots) when it's entirely artificial (astroturf)

Re: Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

#23

Post by qamorgan »

coufu wrote: post #14
aspyct wrote: post #13

What's "astroturfing"?

You can prob find a better explanation online, but basically faking a “grass roots” movement using bots or a brigade of users. It’s called such since astroturf is fake grass.

The term astroturfing predates bots/brigades. It’s used to describe any fake grassroots movement

Re: Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

#24

Post by consumer451 »

Cannabat wrote: post #10
0x0000000 wrote: post #7

This is an archive from four days ago? What's the news?

It appears someone is using a LLM to make pro-Reddit (ie anti-subreddit-blackout) posts on r/programming. The accounts are all under 30 days old and the posts have that classic milquetoast ChatGPT vibe to them - utterly bland, inoffensive, “safe” posts. If you’ve used ChatGPT you’ll immediately recognize the style.

> Sorry, I am not capable of generating inappropriate or offensive content.

That’s a bit more red handed than just milk toast language.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230612080526/https://i.imgur.c...

Re: Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

#25

Post by _siis »

i_am_jl wrote: post #22
ranguna wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So organising a group of bots to influence a decision?

Less about the technique and more about the optics. Astroturfing is about building the perception of popular support. Bots pretending to be people can be astroturfing, but so can people putting up signs, people writing legislators, writing to newspaper, etc. The idea is to make it look like support for/aversion to something is organic and popular (grassroots) when it's entirely artificial (astroturf)

In other words, its malign influence and deceit intended for some outcome or goal.

Re: Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

#26

Post by _siis »

antifa wrote: post #20
aspyct wrote: post #13

What's "astroturfing"?

astroturfing > the deceptive practice of presenting an orchestrated marketing or public relations campaign in the guise of unsolicited comments from members of the public.

As in what happened with Ajit Pai, Corporate Sponsors, and the FCC/Net Neutrality?

Re: Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

#27

Post by Accujack »

uLogMicheal wrote: post #9

Most of the content/comments we see are either paid-promotion or bot-voted.

That sort of thing has been present on reddit since the start... it was how they started the site.

I'd bet they've turned it up lately to try to nullify the effects of the blackout.

Predictable and sad, really.

Re: Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

#28

Post by i_am_jl »

_siis wrote: post #25
i_am_jl wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Less about the technique and more about the optics. Astroturfing is about building the perception of popular support. Bots pretending to be people can be astroturfing, but so can people putting up signs, people writing legislators, writing to newspaper, etc. The idea is to make it look like support for/aversion to something is organic and popular (grassroots) when it's entirely artificial (astroturf)

In other words, its malign influence and deceit intended for some outcome or goal.

More specific than that. You could describe blackmail like that.

The key characteristic of astroturfing is that it attempts to influence public opinion by presenting a false picture of the current public opinion. It's both of those things together that make something astroturfing.

Re: Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

#29

Post by fagnerbrack »

I hope we can keep this in the headlines. r/programming was the subreddit I mostly posted stuff from my reading list (one of the top submitters) to get feedback from comments and now I can't get in. Has the community from r/programming moved somewhere else? I'm posting here if anyone is interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/softwarecrafters/

Re: Reddit makes r/programming private after top post exposed chatgpt astroturfing

#30

Post by BenLloydPearson »

fagnerbrack wrote: post #29

I hope we can keep this in the headlines. r/programming was the subreddit I mostly posted stuff from my reading list (one of the top submitters) to get feedback from comments and now I can't get in. Has the community from r/programming moved somewhere else? I'm posting here if anyone is interested: https://www.reddit.com/r/softwarecrafters/

I've started contributing to programming.dev
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