Information AboutSockpuppet (internet) |
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A sockpuppet is an Online Identity used for purposes of deception within an Internet community. In its earliest usage, a sockpuppet was a false identity through which a member of an Internet community speaks while pretending not to, like a puppeteer manipulating a Hand Puppet .1 In current usage, the perception of the term has been extended beyond second identities of people who already post in a forum to include other uses of misleading online identities. For example, a '' NY Times '' article claims that "sock-puppeting" is defined as "the act of creating a fake online identity to praise, defend or create the illusion of support for one’s self, allies or company."2 The key difference between a sockpuppet and a regular Pseudonym is the pretence that the puppet is a third party who is not affiliated with the puppeteer. The term was first employed on Usenet in reference to Earl Curley , who had used various pseudonyms to defend his character and arguments and to denigrate his opponents. NOTABLE PUBLIC EXAMPLES While examples abound, most are of non-public figures. Notable exceptions in recent years include:
STRAWMAN SOCKPUPPET A ''strawman sockpuppet'' is created by a user with one Point Of View , but acts as though they have an opposing point of view, in order to make that point of view look bad. Such sockpuppets will typically advance foolish Straw Man arguments which their “opponents” can then easily refute. They often act in an unintelligent, uninformed, or Bigoted manner. The effect is to Discredit more rational arguments for the same side. ASTROTURFING A sockpuppet-like use of deceptive fake identities is used in Stealth Marketing . The stealth marketer creates one or more pseudonymous accounts, each one claiming to be owned by a different enthusiastic supporter of the sponsor's product or book or ideology. A single such sockpuppet is a Shill ; creating large numbers of them to fake a "grass-roots" upswelling of support is known as Astroturfing . MEATPUPPET A ''meatpuppet'' is a new Internet community member account, created by another person at the request of a user solely for the purposes of influencing the community on a given issue or issues acting essentially as a puppet of the first user without having independent views and actual or potential contributions. While less overtly deceptive than sockpuppetry, the effect of meatpuppetry and sockpuppetry on the community as a whole may be similar. Brock Read claims that " “meat puppet” is a peculiar inhabitant of the digital world—a fictional character that passes for a real person online."Read, Brock. (October 9, 2006) ''[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/06/AR2006100601742.html'Puppets' Emerge as Internet's Effective, and Deceptive, Salesmen. '' Page D01 This is similar to some practices involved in the real world concept of Branch Stacking . SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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