Is Astroturfing Problem Real on Reddit? What Does Data Fix

Reddit hosts millions of users as content sharing and discussion platform. But this wide network is facing the problem of astroturfing (thinkroots movement created from the petal bush)? A new research tries to answer this question with data.

The basic findings of the research include:

• Using data analysis techniques fake upvote and interaction patterns were detected
• The presence of suspicious activity concentration in certain subreddits
• The role of bot and automation plays in platform interactions
• Monitors business and political purpose manipulation initiatives Home
• Separation of real and fake participation with user behavior analysis

This project prepared by Peter Vijeh examines the content ecosystem of Reddit using machine learning and statistical analysis methods. Results indicate the improvement of the moderation mechanisms of the platform and the development of more transparent algorithms.

Such researches for platform operators have critical importance. Astroturfing makes the reliability of community-based platforms and hides real user signals. An approach based on data is necessary to identify and solve the problem.

This study shows that social media platforms need to analyze their health.