In this episode 4 in season 2 of the Persuaders Podcast we talk to Marko Kovic.

Marko has a PhD in communication and media studies from the University of Zurich. He is now a researcher, author and podcaster.

Marko co-authored the paper "Digital astroturfing in politics: Definition, typology, and countermeasures", which is the basis of our conversation.

In the episode we cover:

- What is digital astroturfing

- How common is this phenomenon

- How is it performed - by governments, IO's and corporations

- What it does to our brains

We also talk about misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories and what causes them to go viral. And finally we talk about psy-ops & disinformation e.g. in wars like in Ukraine.

All this in just 30 minutes.

The episode is sponsored by Ulobby, software for Public Affairs.