The Influence of Prototypical Communication in Dark Online Organizations: How to Speak Like a Monger

A key obstacle for dark organizations is negotiating who is and is not a member. Following the social identity approach, this study explores the impact of prototypical communication, through code word use, on the structure of two dark online organizations. We use two-mode exponential random graph modeling to demonstrate the interdependence between code word use and network structure. Findings are discussed in light of social identity approaches and online groups.