Desinformación y manipulación de la opinión pública: una revisión sistemática sobre astroturfing (2004-2024)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26441/RC24.2-2025-3988Palabras clave:
astroturfing, desinformación, manipulación, movimientos de base, opinión pública, revisión sistemáticaResumen
Propósito. Este artículo presenta una revisión sistemática de la literatura científica sobre el fenómeno del astroturfing, con especial atención a su impacto en la comunicación digital y la manipulación de la opinión pública. El astroturfing online como estrategia de naturaleza desinformativa simula un movimiento de base auténtico cuando en realidad se trata de una campaña orquestada falsa que erosiona la deliberación democrática. Esta investigación responde a la necesidad de abordar de forma sistemática el estudio de las campañas de astroturfing, dada la escasez de revisiones sobre el tema (Kovic et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2013). Metodología. A partir del análisis de 28 estudios publicados entre 2004 y 2024 en bases de datos internacionales, se examinan las principales definiciones, enfoques teóricos y metodológicos, ámbitos temáticos y contextos de aplicación. El análisis se llevó a cabo mediante un formulario ad hoc que permitió recoger información clave como el objeto de estudio, la metodología empleada, las definiciones utilizadas y las conclusiones de cada trabajo. Resultados y conclusiones. Los resultados muestran una notable dispersión conceptual y una concentración temática en los contextos políticos y digitales. Se identifican vacíos de investigación —temáticos, metodológicos y contextuales— y se proponen líneas emergentes para futuras investigaciones. Aporte original. Este trabajo aporta una visión sistematizada del estado de la cuestión y contribuye a consolidar el estudio del astroturfing desde las Ciencias Sociales y la Comunicación, proponiendo una definición consensuada de astroturfing y ofreciendo una base sólida para guiar futuros estudios y desarrollar intervenciones prácticas.
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