When the Roots Are Rotten—Activism Monetized in What Sociologists Call ‘Astroturfing’ Campaigns

Founded on the freedoms of free speech, the right to protest and the untainted notion of liberty as they pertain to the American people, the United States has seen in its short, yet dynamic history that grassroots movements can lead to an effective change in the way our nation runs. Grassroots activism, initiated and engaged by the people, have led us through the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and even more recent struggles, as the general public makes their voices heard to government officials.

But these campaigns of activism may not always be as well-intended as one had previously thought. UCLA sociologist Edward Walker recently published a book with the Cambridge University Press, entitled "Grassroots for Hire: Public Affairs Consultants in American Democracy", where he revealed the truth behind major political movements and the notion that "any press is good press".

"Grassroots political action, typically understood as the exclusive purview of citizen organizers, has been adapted as a commercial practice deployed by consultants on behalf of corporations, trade associations, and the wealthiest and most professionalized advocacy organizations" Walker said.

From exploiting actual advocacy groups all the way to creating entirely false fronts, consultants employ the most modern forms of marketing and political strategizing to find their clients' constituents and reach them in the broadest way possible. Filling the internet with biased blog posts, bombarding social media with troll-like information from falsified accounts and even buying the support or approval of influential parties with great notoriety in a given arena, this form of what Walker likes to call "Astroturfing" campaigns has turned into a billion-dollar industry in recent years.

Serving as a primary example, Walker uses the 2005 foundation of Working Families for Wal-Mart to draw in anecdotal evidence of the widespread, well-hidden issue. Arising at a time when Wal-Mart's labor practices and expansion into small communities came into question, the group established a large base of support for the retail mogul.

However, what was later to be discovered, was that the sole founder of the grassroots movement was none other than Wal-Mart itself-disguised and hidden by a consultant who arranged nearly every aspect themselves.

Giving the false impression of a mass movement, cloaked with the guise of familiar common interests that happen to coincide with that of the clients, these consultants are advocacy and political professionals with a purchasable agenda.

Tracing the origins of this grassroots lobbying all the way back to the 1970's, Walker's newest book exposes the reality of a growing hidden industry and the problems it poses for actual campaigns of activism.

"Engaging the public in traditional citizen advocacy is already hard enough" Walker says. "Legitimate grassroots campaigns do not need the additional burden of fighting suspicion resulting from astroturfing [as well]."

Much like astroturf or weeds, Walker predicts that these tactics will ultimately suffocate the true grassroots beneath them.