<p>pretty self-explanatory… i starting thinking about it and couldn’t think of even the slightest idea of why anyone would ■■■■■…</p>
<p>for attention…</p>
<p>I’m guessing that they have no social life, are bored, and enjoy the glory of seeing a lot of posts piling up on ‘their’ thread.</p>
<p>Or they are working on a psychology project for school.</p>
<p>For some people this is their social life. It is hygenic and you do not bother with face-to-face interactions. It is easy to just type stuff and leave if you don’t like the response. I think as texting grows you will see more and more of an inability or unwillingness for some to do face-to-face. Relationships end with text messages these days.</p>
<p>Some people just like to stir the pot, whether in person or on the internet.</p>
<p>Because they can act out anything they can imagine…very powerful stuff.</p>
<p>■■■■■■ are bad, but sockpuppets (Google the term) are worse.</p>
<p>I’ve met two real-life ■■■■■■ (one self-proclaimed and the other not), and I can confirm what previous posters have said: ■■■■■■ are people with “no life” and few social skills, who ■■■■■ for the purpose of getting attention. </p>
<p>I belong to only two Internet forums, but I frequently browse other forums for information about all sorts of subjects. I’ve become increasingly skilled at spotting The ■■■■■–often (but not always) a brand-new forum member who initiates provocatively-worded threads, posts inflammatory off-topic statements, personally attacks other forum members, and engages in whichever forms of verbal misconduct will result in disruption to selected threads and general damage to the forum.</p>
<p>I dislike ■■■■■■, but I thoroughly despise The Sockpuppet–an established forum member who posts under two or more usernames (often within the same self-initiated thread) for the specific purpose of furthering a personal, professional, political, and/or social agenda. Sockpuppets are difficult–but not impossible–to spot, and as I gain forum-reading experience, I am gradually learning how to identify them.</p>
<p>I would rather encounter a ■■■■■ than a sockpuppet any day. ■■■■■■ are intentionally disruptive, but sockpuppets are intentionally deceptive. ■■■■■■ are fools, but sockpuppets are scum.</p>