# Have Any Scientific Studies Been Published on Socks and Trolls? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 14, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952 "2005-11-14T04:29:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952/1 "2005-11-14T04:29:02Z")
I know we’re supposed to pretend they don’t exist but the behaviour fascinates me nonetheless. I just don’t get it. Surely these archetypical losers have been around long enough to spawn a Phd thesis or two. Have they been studied? There must be certain personality traits that all trolls share. Are they borderline psychopaths? ---
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952/2 "2005-11-14T04:47:08Z")
Actually I meant this to be in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952/3 "2005-11-14T05:10:06Z")
There was an old article I read once about early trolldom in the 1990’s, but sockpuppetry itself was not covered. I can try to find it when I return to my office later this week but no promises, as it was a while ago. Another article I remember, subtitled “What Vampires Know” dealt with it somewhat, in that it covered destructive behavior of individuals in early online games and communities, IIRC (again, I don’t have this with me on the road). You might also search on ActiveWorlds historical sites, as well as good old USENET, the first home of the troll (and to some extent, the sockpuppet). ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952/4 "2005-11-14T07:03:22Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > There was an old article I read once about early trolldom in the 1990’s, but sockpuppetry itself was not covered. I can try to find it when I return to my office later this week but no promises, as it was a while ago. > > Another article I remember, subtitled “What Vampires Know” dealt with it somewhat, in that it covered destructive behavior of individuals in early online games and communities, IIRC (again, I don’t have this with me on the road). You might also search on ActiveWorlds historical sites, as well as good old USENET, the first home of the troll (and to some extent, the sockpuppet). The OP definitely wants to research Usenet history. Usenet actually predates the modern Internet. Also, the OP needs to understand what a troll is. A troll ISN’T a person. But instead posts calculated to generate a large number of responses. Sounds like the OP is thinking more about flamers. [http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/index.htm](http://redwing.hutman.net/%7Emreed/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952/5 "2005-11-14T11:49:36Z")
> [@deevee](#): > > Actually I meant this to be in GQ. Done. **samclem** GQ moderator ---
**Author:** ![MessyPaint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@MessyPaint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MessyPaint)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952/6 "2005-11-14T15:10:49Z")
in a sense, these guys and gals are equivalent to the common graffiti ‘vandal’- they are spreading graffiti on the boards- their thread being their mark and our response being the attention of 5.1 million people witnessing the subway car pass by… > [@](#): > > The theory that underpins the approach in New York is that the graffiti vandal (a term used in preference to ‘artist’) is motivated and rewarded by seeing their works displayed. Public transport is a perfect target: over five million passengers pass through the stations each day; countless others observe the cars that travel above ground. In order to remove the reward and hence the motivation, it is vital to clean off or cover over any graffiti before it can have an audience. It is said that if complete removal is not possible immediately, putting a line through it is an effective short-term measure. i doubt any serious case studies have been done on internet socks/trolls, but the idea here is pretty much synonymous… [Case Study Report on Subway Graffiti](http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_mobility/documents/page/dft_mobility_025965-03.hcsp) although now we are taking the role of the media here in this thread by trying to offer a professional observance such a tricky world… ---
**Author:** ![deevee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@deevee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deevee)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952/7 "2005-11-14T20:30:55Z")
Thanks for the direction \*\*Una Persson \*\* . Usenet predates my adoption of the internet so I have never actually been sure of what it was. The graffiti analogy is also something I never thought of. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952/8 "2005-11-14T20:45:37Z")
[Our own **David B** and **Ed Zotti** on the subject.](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mtroll.html) I mean, that’s even better than a PhD dissertation, right? ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-scientific-studies-been-published-on-socks-and-trolls/330952/9 "2005-11-14T21:04:51Z")
> [@deevee](#): > > Thanks for the direction \*\*Una Persson \*\* . Usenet predates my adoption of the internet so I have never actually been sure of what it was. The graffiti analogy is also something I never thought of. Usenet is still around, and Google has it archived back to the very early days. Usenet is basically like over 10,000 website bulletin boards with no moderation. That no moderation is the most critical element. With say the SDMB, the mods can check logs to see if I am using socks, or I keep getting banned and sign up with a new nym. With Usenet one can easily create new socks, and nymshift at will undetectably. Making Usenet an ideal troll haven.