Those who work in web trends and social media may already be aware that people they are speaking to online are only imaginary friends. Beyond the “I don’t know you in real life” faux friend that person might not exist at all, having been created entirely as a means to infiltrate online networking incognito.
This sort of deceptive persona is referred to as a “sock puppet.” Not to be confused with an alt identity that users develop to connect anonymously, sock puppets are set up with deceptive intention appearing to be an objective 3rd party not an alternate version of one’s personality. A New York Times article describes it as, “creating a fake online identity to praise, defend or create the illusion of support for one's self, allies or company.”
Generally cyber sock puppets are used to promote an agenda, aid an argument, or collect personal data by monitoring people and their alts to determine things like spending habits and political affiliations. There are several types of sock puppets each with their own classification and purpose.
A fictitious online character controlled by someone with a contradictory opinion is referred to as a Strawman sock puppet. These types of alter egos use ignorance and bigotry to make the opposition’s argument seem weak and hateful. It sets their creator up to slam dunk the debate but leading the questions and attaching a stigma to anyone who disagrees.
A meat puppet isn’t altogether fake. They have a physical substance that makes them meaty but all of the comments and updates they post are in blind support of a particular person, place, or thing. Meat puppets also interject out of context information into unrelated correspondence in an effort to boost a trend and generate media buzz on any given subject.
Stealth marketing sock puppets may be involved in actions like ballot stuffing of online polls and falsely endorsing products or people. A sockpuppet acting alone is called a shill while creating large numbers of puppets in a fake "grass-roots" serge in of support for a cause is known as astroturfing.
Recently the international “Hacktivist” group Anonymous has declared it sock puppet season and has set out to expose the government’s involvement in a software that allows them to set up and manage a multitude of sock puppet personalities. Dubbed Operation Metal Gear the group aims to expose the government’s intention to purchase the product and set themselves up as frenemies on your list able to spy on your social sphere.
According to a NetworkWorld article, “The software being sought would provide operatives with a dashboard that would help them keep the multiple personas separate and post clearly on the screen which persona is being used at the time. The request for bids says the software would be deployed at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida (where Central Command is located); Kabul, Afghanistan; and Baghdad, Iraq.”
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By Heather Fairchild - Heather is a multimedia developer with experience in web, film, photography and animation as well as traditional fine arts like painting and sculpting. In addition to writing for TechCareersBlog.com, she is co-founder of design and promotion company, BlackChip Solutions with fellow Nexxt blogger, Staci Dennis. Heather’s spare time consists of making puppets, teaching Sunday School, building Legos and doing science experiments with her children.
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