https://doi.org/10.1140/epjds/s13688-025-00614-1
Research
Tales of twin forums on the dark and surface web: social interactions and user sustainability in anonymous online communities
1
Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore, 11 Computing Drive, 117416, Singapore, Singapore
2
Web Mining Laboratory, Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, 18 Tat Hong Avenue, Hong Kong SAR, China
a
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Received:
21
March
2025
Accepted:
17
December
2025
Published online:
23
December
2025
The Dark Web provides a technically anonymous environment, yet users must still manage their online behaviors to maintain social anonymity within communities. Such dynamics may influence continued participation. In this study, we use a computational approach to examine social behaviors on the Dark Web and their impact on user sustainability. Our results indicate that the strength of social interactions is lower on the Dark Web than on the Surface Web, while emotional valence is generally more positive. Moreover, strong social interactions and negative feedback are associated with reduced prolonged participation on the Dark Web, contrasting with their role in promoting user sustainability on the Surface Web. These findings suggest that Dark Web users, who typically engage with clear task-oriented goals, may exhibit benevolence toward peers through restrained social activity, yet maintain relatively tenuous connections to the broader community.
Key words: Dark Web / Surface Web / User Sustainability / Anonymous Online Communities
© The Author(s) 2025
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