Spinning up dummy nodes is no different than having a bunch of socks "voting" on a forum. Ppl make fun of CSW for ridiculing PoSM but he's 100% correct. "The community" is a myth.
Users/the market vote with their money, thereby deciding miner's profit.
Exactly, that's how astroturfing can indirectly affect the miners. That's why you see these scorched earth Narratives. They're trying to get ppl to sell/buy to influence mining.