HailCorporate: Call Out Corporate Astroturfing on Lemmy

https://infosec.pub/pictrs/image/81e899ff-f02b-4fb4-abed-67e9763ab05f.jpeg

HailCorporate is a community for individuals committed to unmasking the deceptive practice of astroturfing and exposing fake product testimonials. In a digital age where the line between genuine endorsements and corporate manipulations is increasingly blurred, our community has become necessary. Here, we collectively call out comments and posts where everyday people, often unknowingly, become pawns in a company’s PR strategy, spreading scripted messages under the guise of personal opinion. HailCorporate’s mission is to foster a culture of transparency and authenticity, empowering fediverse users to challenge the covert tactics used by most multinational corporations to astroturf the fediverse.

!hailcorporate

edit: judging by the utterly frothy comment section here, I’ll definitely need help. If you want to mod, make a post there and message me and I’ll carefully consider adding you based on my personal assesment of how based your comment history is. ;)

CubbyTustard,

These communities end up with so many false positives. Some people just like sharing when they find stuff they like!

demesisx,
@demesisx@infosec.pub avatar

I’m sure we will have false positives. Luckily, having your comment or post shared on hailcorporate doesn’t disqualify you from anything.

I’ll hopefully be able to recognize witch hunts for what they are. If this community isn’t for you, please exercise your right to ignore it. :)

CeruleanRuin,
@CeruleanRuin@lemmy.world avatar

That’s how a lot of marketing astroturfing works though.

You let people post things organically, then you signal boost the shit out of them, and nobody can claim it’s false or contrived, because OP really did just post a thing they like.

c0mbatbag3l,
@c0mbatbag3l@lemmy.world avatar

How is a corporation going to signal boost someone in a website they don’t even know exists for a platform of a few thousand reliable everyday users when they have no presence with which to “boost” it?

NexiusLobster,
@NexiusLobster@lemmy.world avatar

is it just me or does this community have zero posts?

demesisx,
@demesisx@infosec.pub avatar

Is it me or did I create this community within the last hour?

clayh, (edited )

You didn’t create anything. You just registered a community name.

It’s like the Great Value version of domain squatting.

demesisx,
@demesisx@infosec.pub avatar

You’re arguing semantics here, weird nerd. Who cares what you call what I did to bring this community into reality? I pressed a few buttons and the thing that was in my mind now exists in the world and is impossible for you to do anything about.

Did you want to add anything of value to the conversation?

clayh,

Did you?

c0mbatbag3l,
@c0mbatbag3l@lemmy.world avatar

now exists in the world and is impossible for you to do anything about.

Is the corporate astro turfer with us in the room right now, demesisx?

There’s a snowball’s chance in hell that corporations are spending their time and money trying to convince the few dozen active posters and few thousand commenters of anything. Most corporations with a PR department probably don’t even know Lemmy exists let alone has a significant enough number of users to matter to their interests.

Even if all of that weren’t true, you’ve still done nothing but created a community which I’m sure takes all of the time that setting up a new voice channel on discord does. Congratulations, you’ve created a place where random people who don’t agree with you will be framed as corporate imps for having an independent thought or knowledge of how the world works that you just can’t wrap your head around.

“Impossible for you to do anything about”

Lol it’s like watching Jerry from R&M leaving the day care and being told that he was always allowed, we really couldn’t care less but you’ll take this criticism as “those darn corpos trying to ruin Lemmy!” Instead of people calling you out for providing nothing and then pretending you are some activist striking out against the man.

wahming,

Based on OP’s comments on this thread, I can only imagine what the modding of the community is going to look like

demesisx, (edited )
@demesisx@infosec.pub avatar

Let’s characterize it!

I won’t abide stanning for the billionaire class or calls to impotent civility. I very much have in my heart EXACTLY the spirit of what /r/HailCorporate was and if you doubt that, you are exactly the type of corporatist cuck that I created this community to reveal.

Now to characterize your privileged perspective:

“I have no sympathy for marginalized groups, quite literally pleading for their lives. If they wanted my sympathy, they should have done so more politely!”

wahming,

I haven’t even gone into my personal opinions, but gj on deducing them.

Just what the fediverse needs. Another pit of toxicity and baseless witch hunting.

samus12345,
@samus12345@lemmy.world avatar

Best one:

hexbear.net is the place for people like me

Tells you everything you need to know.

LinkOpensChest_wav,

I really hope this takes off. I was on r/HailCorporate on reddit, and it really lost its steam at some point. People often feel uncomfortable closely examining how we can unwittingly spread advertising. I know I do, try as I might to be cognizant of this.

demesisx,
@demesisx@infosec.pub avatar

I have run into too many instances of billionaire defenders on lemmy.world and kbin.social for this community NOT to exist. I get into strange arguments (where, from my perspective, I am just defending common sense or open standards) with frothing fascist, astroturfing fanbois about their chosen billionaire and I felt like I had nowhere to go, “look at this fucking corporate cuck”. ;)

rikudou,
@rikudou@lemmings.world avatar

And your solution is to start a community without contributing to it?

demesisx,
@demesisx@infosec.pub avatar

Are you being ironically obtuse?

JackLSauce,

That name and image are really confusing with the stated intent of the community

photonic_sorcerer,
@photonic_sorcerer@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Eh, I think this community would lead to me seeing even more posts shilling for companies. No thanks.

moosetwin,
@moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

I saw one of these comments yesterday; I’d post it there, but it got deleted :(

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