Sock puppet account

A sock puppet, after which internet sock puppets are named.

Sock puppet (sometimes known also as a mule, BadManBoomChang or a glove puppet) is an additional account created by an existing member of an Internet community. This account allows them to pose as a completely different user, sometimes to manufacture the illusion of support in a vote or argument. Other reasons include a desire to support or vote on an issue coupled with a desire to have one's "main" account stay away from the issue. This behaviour is sometimes seen as being dishonest by online communities and as a result these individuals are often labeled as trolls. This is often done on sites like eBay in order to bid on one's own auctions, although eBay forbids the practice. Although the "sock puppet" concept has been applied to the use of different sender names for the same e-mail account on different computers the use of such alternate IDs to identify a particular computer may not always be for the purpose of deception.

Characteristics

• The user has more knowledge than would be expected of a newcomer regarding the site's methods, rules, and community members.
• Takes part of similar discussions and has mostly same opinions as the user's main account
• May have the same IP address and/or Internet Service Provider.
• Sometimes owners of several accounts use similar names: for example SollogSockPuppet, SollogSock, SollogHasAPuppet, etc.

Additional and related terms

Straw man sock puppet

Another type of sock puppet is sometimes referred to as a “straw man sock puppet”. They are created by users with one point of view, but act as though they have an opposing point of view, in order to make that point of view look bad. They will often make poor arguments which their “opponents” can then easily refute. This can allow them to essentially make straw man arguments. Such sock puppets thus become a personification of the straw man argument which their creators argue against. They often act in an unintelligent or uninformed manner, and may behave in an overtly bigoted manner. The effect is often to obfuscate the debate and prevent a serious discussion of the arguments from each side. Suspicion of such sock puppets is often harder to verify though, as there are often people who naturally behave in such a manner with the same effects.

Shills and Astroturfing

Another type of sock puppet is an account created by the manufacturer of a product or the author of a book for the sole purpose of recommending the product/book by posing as an enthusiastic consumer or reader (a crude attempt at do-it-yourself viral marketing). A single such sock puppet is a shill; creating large numbers of them to fake a "grass-roots" upswelling of support is known as astroturfing.

Meat puppet

A meat puppet is a variation of a sock puppet; a new internet community member account is created by another person at the request of a user solely for the purposes of influencing the community on a given issue or issues. While less overtly deceptive than sock puppetry, the effect of meat puppetry and sock puppetry on the community as a whole may be similar.

Origin of the term

The term was perhaps first used on July 9, 1993 in a posting to bit.listserv.fnord-l, but was not in common usage in USENET groups until 1996. However, the precise reason the term "Sock Puppet" came to be used in this manner is likely lost to antiquity. At least two possibilites have been offered.

One is that the term "sock puppet" reflects what a real sock puppet is: a fake personality operated by an actual personality. A sock puppet also happens to be the cheapest and easiest puppet to make, alluding to the glibness of the technique.

Another is that it relates to the term "socket" as used in the computer industry.

See also

• Sollog
• Shill
• Nekama
• Internet troll
• Sock puppet
• Astroturfing
• Wikipedia:Sock puppetry