The Dark Internet: An Exploration of Culture and User Experience

Abstract

Our research sought to investigate the culture of the Dark Internet through a combination of cultural analysis and experiential learning. We split our research into three major portions: analysis of culture of the Dark Internet through the way it is viewed by various media outlets and on the Dark Internet itself; how the culture of the Dark Internet reacts in times of crises; and a comparison of the experience of the users of Dark Internet marketplaces versus users of traditional internet marketplaces. Our cultural analysis was accomplished through the use of textual coding; by coding the articles, forums, and pages that we were gathering, we were able to find and observe key commonalities in behavior and communication among the sources. We also went through the process of purchasing goods from both Dark Internet marketplaces and traditional internet marketplaces allowing us to compare the experiences in a variety of ways including: ease of access, ease of purchase, delivery time, etc. This research aims to provide further insight into the nature of the Dark Internet and open the way for future research into this ever-changing culture.