sockpuppetry
English edit
Etymology edit
From sock puppet + -ry, under influence from puppetry.
Pronunciation edit
Audio (UK) (file)
Noun edit
sockpuppetry (uncountable)
- The use of sock puppets, especially (Internet, derogatory) the use of pseudonymous online accounts for abuse.
- 2007, Jonathon Keats, Control + Alt + Delete: A Dictionary of Cyberslang:
- The facelessness of the internet makes sockpuppetry all too tempting for many.
- 2014, Timothy R. Levine, Encyclopedia of Deception, Vol. II, s.v. Sockpuppetry:
- On the Internet, the new form of false identities is termed sock puppetry... the term came to be applied to people who would assume a false identity and then join an Internet group. The term has been extended to include people who use false identities on the Internet in order to deceive others.