How Unexpected Virality Sent Karen Owen Into Virtual Hiding

Months after the viral circulation of her major research paper, former Duke University student Karen Owen is still in virtual hiding.

The twenty-something has blocked off all social media connections, refusing to speak to the public about her work. Perhaps this isn’t the typical reaction you’d expect from an academic garnering fame and media attention, but that’s because Owen’s research paper wasn’t any old thesis paper: it was a “f***” list.

Owen’s project, entitled “An Education Beyond the Classroom: Excelling in the Realm of Horizontal Academics,” was a 42-page power point presentation detailing her sexual escapades at university, from her softmore year to her senior year.