Astrotwitter?

I think I may have discovered something gross. Working for an organization in the midst of a public crisis—I can't reveal the organization's identity, lest the crisis deepen if anyone finds out they've hired a tramp like me as a consultant—I search Twitter to see what people are saying about their issue.

Thus, I cut sideways through everybody's little Folllowing/Followers club, seeing a cross-section of Twitter—just whatever people are saying about this particular issue.

And what do I find?

A lot of identical tweets—same smart-ass remark, same peculiar grammar and punctuation, same everything.

What the Holtz is going on here? Is this "astrotwitter," a new form of astroturfing? And if so, how do the creepy astrotwits initiate the campaign—how do they get people to post this 140-character boilerplate, misleading their followers into thinking it's their original thought? And if it spreads—like "ghosttwittering" appears to be doing—what are the implications for Twitter as a place for organic, spontaneous self-expression?

Et tu, Twitter? Is nothing sacred?

Comments

[Kristen]

Are these identical comments preceded by "RT"?

I have just recently understood that this is how the Twitter world "points" people to other's comments. Apparently this is SOP on Twitter and it's perfectly acceptable (at least to the Twits, erm, Tweeters!)as long as you "RT it"

[David Murray]

Ah ha! Okay, yes. That's what's happening.

Twits, astrotwitter thyselves!

(But can it be but a matter of time until astrotwittering really does commence?)

[Kristen]

And, (I'm going to say this before someone else does) talk about the blind leading the blind, ME giving YOU advice on Twitter? That's just scary and kind of surreal!!

[David Murray]

My final remark on astrotweeting, which I invented this morning:

"There are those that look at Twitter the way it is, and ask why? I tweet of things that never were, and ask why not?"

[Eileen B.]

Kristen...you beat me to it!

[michael clendenin]

RT = re-tweet

For good or evil...

[Amy]

Can we please go back to cuniform text? I'm lost and you two are making me feel stupid. ; P

[Kristen]

Cuniform?! Geez, Amy! How about we just give you a stone tablet and a big mallet?? And, while we're at it, maybe you could invent fire!

HA ha ha ha ha!!!

[amy]

Oh you smarty-pants young whippersnappers, Kristen. When ancient Babylonian text comes back into vogue, you kids are TOAST while I'm gonna be sitting pretty.

[Robert French]

Pretty sure "astrotweeting" already does exist. Using the many 3rd party API tool tie-ins, you can already set up multiple accounts ... use tools to easily bolster your follow/following numbers and then ... using TweetLater & other tools, you can bombard the timeline with anything your heart desires. Make it look like your issue is red hot among a niche group. It only takes time to do it. The tools are already there, and free!

After all, this astroturf practice is how so many videos get noticed on YouTube, for instance. We teach students about these tactics (and that they are wrong), but some teach the tactics as if they are 'the' way to practice online campaigns. A recent Hunter College class did it. Northwestern has a release which *may* suggest that they are doing it, too. http://is.gd/sxGN However, it may be that they are just teaching 'about' it.

Online has opened up a remarkable avenue to communicate, but has also unleashed horrible noise generation. If online communication like these tactics reaches the same permeation as SPAM has in e-mail, then we'll be experiencing 80+ % noise in everything we see online.

Come to think of it, we may already be there.

[David Murray]

Thanks for your good analysis here and your well-stated conclusion.

To separate wheat from chaff, one of these days we're going to have to invent the newspaper.