, Sept. 8 -- The final days of the DUCSU 2025 election saw a dramatic shift in online engagement, but a new analysis reveals that much of the visible momentum was a carefully constructed mirage. A report from SharedToday exposes a phenomenon called "auto-turfing"-the use of coordinated, repetitive campaign posts to create an illusion of widespread support. This practice has cluttered the digital view, making it difficult to distinguish genuine popularity from manufactured waves.

Detecting the Deception

Auto-turfing campaigns can be identified by several key markers, as outlined in the SharedToday report:

- Identical or near-identical posts shared by multiple accounts in short timeframes.

- Overuse of templated slogans and hashtags.

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