9.3 Internet folklore

Internet folklore has become a fascinating digital extension of traditional storytelling. It reflects how our culture has shifted towards online communication, blending technology with human creativity in unique ways.

From early bulletin boards to modern social media, internet folklore has evolved rapidly. It encompasses memes, copypastas, urban legends, and creepypasta narratives, showcasing the diverse ways we express ourselves online.

Origins of internet folklore

• Internet folklore emerged as a digital extension of traditional folklore, reflecting the cultural shift towards online communication and communities
• Represents the intersection of technology, popular culture, and human creativity in the digital age
• Serves as a lens to understand how language and cultural practices evolve in response to new communication mediums

Early online communities

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• Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) fostered the first digital folklore exchanges in the 1980s
• Usenet newsgroups facilitated widespread sharing of jokes, urban legends, and digital traditions
• IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channels became hotbeds for real-time folklore creation and dissemination
• Early web forums like SomethingAwful and 4chan played crucial roles in shaping internet culture and folklore

Transition from oral traditions

• Shift from face-to-face storytelling to text-based and visual digital narratives
• Adaptation of traditional folklore elements (myths, legends, jokes) to digital formats
• Increased speed of transmission and global reach of folkloric content
• Emergence of new folklore forms unique to digital environments (glitch art, copypastas)

Types of internet folklore

• Internet folklore encompasses a wide range of digital cultural expressions and shared content
• Reflects the diversity of online communities and their creative adaptations of traditional folklore
• Demonstrates how language and popular culture intertwine in the creation of new digital traditions

Memes and image macros

• Visual-textual combinations that convey ideas, jokes, or cultural commentary
• Rapid evolution and mutation of meme formats to suit different contexts
• Impact of meme culture on visual literacy and communication styles
• Notable examples include LOLcats, Advice Animals, and Distracted Boyfriend

Copypastas and chain letters

• Text-based content designed for repeated copying and sharing
• Often feature exaggerated claims, threats, or promises to encourage forwarding
• Serve various functions from humor to social commentary or even scams
• Examples include the Navy Seal copypasta and "Forward this to 10 friends" chain letters

Urban legends online

• Traditional urban legends adapted for digital circulation
• New legends arising from internet culture and technology fears
• Blurring of fact and fiction in online spaces
• Popular examples include stories of kidney theft and haunted files

Creepypasta narratives

• User-generated horror stories and legends specific to internet culture
• Often presented as "true" accounts to enhance believability
• Utilize multimedia elements like images and videos to increase immersion
• Famous creepypastas include Slender Man and Jeff the Killer

Characteristics of internet folklore

• Internet folklore exhibits unique traits that distinguish it from traditional folklore forms
• Reflects the technological and social environment of the digital age
• Demonstrates how language and popular culture adapt to new communication paradigms

Virality and spreadability

• Rapid dissemination of content across multiple platforms and communities
• Factors influencing virality (emotional resonance, relatability, timeliness)
• Role of algorithms and social networks in content propagation
• Measurement and tracking of viral spread through shares, likes, and engagement metrics

Remix culture

• Continuous modification and reinterpretation of existing content
• Collaborative creation process involving multiple contributors
• Legal and ethical considerations surrounding remix practices
• Examples of remixed folklore (rage comic variations, meme crossovers)

Anonymity vs attribution

• Tension between anonymous creation and desire for recognition
• Impact of anonymity on content creation and dissemination
• Emergence of internet celebrities and content creators
• Challenges in tracing the origins of viral content

Internet folklore platforms

• Various online platforms serve as breeding grounds for internet folklore
• Each platform's unique features shape the type and spread of folkloric content
• Demonstrates how technological infrastructure influences cultural production

Message boards and forums

• Early hubs for internet folklore creation and dissemination
• Threaded discussions facilitate the evolution of ideas and content
• Subcultural development within niche forums and boards
• Influential platforms include Reddit, 4chan, and specialized interest forums

Social media networks

• Mainstream platforms for sharing and consuming internet folklore
• Algorithmic content curation affects folklore visibility and spread
• Integration of multimedia elements in folklore creation
• Examples include Twitter memes, Facebook groups, and Instagram trends

Video sharing sites

• Emergence of video-based internet folklore and memes
• User-generated content platforms as folklore incubators
• Influence of video editing tools on folklore creation
• YouTube challenges, TikTok trends, and Vine (historical) as folklore vehicles

Functions of internet folklore

• Internet folklore serves multiple purposes in online communities and broader culture
• Reflects and shapes societal values, concerns, and communication patterns
• Demonstrates the role of digital folklore in language evolution and popular culture

Social bonding and identity

• Creation of in-group language and references
• Strengthening of community ties through shared content and experiences
• Expression of subcultural identities through specific memes or trends
• Role of internet folklore in forming online friendships and relationships

Cultural commentary

• Use of humor and satire to address social and political issues
• Memes as a form of grassroots media criticism
• Reflection of current events and societal concerns in folkloric content
• Examples of memes used in political discourse or social movements

Humor and entertainment

• Internet folklore as a source of amusement and stress relief
• Evolution of humor styles specific to online environments
• Role of absurdist and surreal humor in internet culture
• Popular humor formats (reaction GIFs, image macros, video memes)

Language in internet folklore

• Internet folklore significantly influences and reflects changes in language use
• Demonstrates the dynamic nature of language in digital environments
• Highlights the interplay between visual and textual communication in online spaces

Internet slang and jargon

• Development of specialized vocabulary within online communities
• Abbreviations and acronyms unique to digital communication (LOL, FOMO, TIL)
• Evolution and spread of slang terms across platforms and into mainstream usage
• Impact of internet slang on formal language and communication styles

Emoji and emoticon usage

• Integration of visual elements to convey tone and emotion in text
• Evolution from text-based emoticons to standardized emoji sets
• Cultural differences in emoji interpretation and usage
• Emergence of emoji as a form of visual language and folklore

Multimodal communication

• Combination of text, images, audio, and video in folkloric content
• Impact on literacy practices and comprehension skills
• Challenges in preserving and studying multimodal folklore
• Examples of multimodal memes and their interpretation

Evolution of internet folklore

• Internet folklore undergoes constant change, reflecting technological and social shifts
• Demonstrates the adaptability of cultural expressions in digital environments
• Highlights the relationship between technological affordances and creative practices

From text to visual content

• Shift from text-based jokes and stories to image macros and video memes
• Impact of increased bandwidth and mobile devices on content creation
• Evolution of visual literacy in online communities
• Examples of how text-based memes transformed into visual formats

Impact of technological changes

• Influence of new platforms and features on folklore creation and spread
• Role of AI and machine learning in generating and curating content
• Effect of increased internet speeds on the complexity of folkloric content
• Adaptation of folklore to emerging technologies (AR filters, VR experiences)

Cross-platform adaptation

• Migration of memes and trends across different social media platforms
• Modifications of content to suit platform-specific features and audiences
• Challenges in maintaining context and meaning during platform shifts
• Examples of successful and failed cross-platform folklore adaptations

Cultural impact of internet folklore

• Internet folklore exerts significant influence on broader cultural trends and practices
• Reflects the growing importance of digital culture in shaping societal norms
• Demonstrates the power of grassroots content creation in the digital age

Influence on mainstream media

• Incorporation of internet memes and trends in traditional media content
• Impact on advertising strategies and brand communication
• Challenges for mainstream media in staying relevant to internet culture
• Examples of successful and awkward uses of memes in mainstream contexts

Political and social movements

• Use of memes and internet folklore in political campaigns and activism
• Role of viral content in spreading awareness about social issues
• Challenges of misinformation and manipulation through folkloric content
• Case studies of internet folklore's impact on real-world events

Marketing and advertising

• Adoption of meme formats and internet humor in brand communications
• Challenges of authenticity and appropriation in meme-based marketing
• User-generated content campaigns leveraging internet folklore
• Examples of successful and controversial meme marketing campaigns

Analyzing internet folklore

• Scholarly approaches to studying and interpreting internet folklore
• Challenges in applying traditional folklore analysis methods to digital content
• Importance of interdisciplinary approaches in understanding internet culture

Digital ethnography methods

• Participant observation in online communities and platforms
• Ethical considerations in studying digital cultures
• Data collection techniques for capturing ephemeral online content
• Challenges of representing diverse online experiences in research

Semiotics in online content

• Analysis of signs and symbols in internet memes and folklore
• Interpretation of visual and textual elements in digital communication
• Cultural context and shared knowledge in decoding online content
• Case studies of semiotic analysis applied to popular internet memes

Narrative structure analysis

• Examination of storytelling patterns in creepypastas and urban legends
• Comparison of digital narratives with traditional folklore structures
• Impact of hypertext and non-linear storytelling on narrative analysis
• Examples of how classic narrative theories apply to internet folklore

Ethical considerations

• Ethical challenges arising from the creation and spread of internet folklore
• Reflects broader societal concerns about digital communication and content
• Demonstrates the need for critical thinking in engaging with online culture

Copyright and ownership issues

• Tensions between remix culture and intellectual property rights
• Fair use considerations in meme creation and sharing
• Challenges of attributing authorship in collaborative online environments
• Legal cases involving copyright disputes over internet folklore

Misinformation and fake news

• Role of internet folklore in spreading false information
• Challenges in distinguishing between satire and deliberate misinformation
• Impact of viral misinformation on public discourse and decision-making
• Strategies for combating the spread of false information online

Privacy and consent

• Ethical implications of using real people's images in memes
• Issues surrounding the viral spread of personal information or content
• Consent considerations in sharing and remixing user-generated content
• Case studies of privacy violations through internet folklore

Future of internet folklore

• Emerging trends and potential developments in digital folklore
• Reflects ongoing technological advancements and cultural shifts
• Demonstrates the continued evolution of language and popular culture in digital spaces

Emerging trends and formats

• Rise of short-form video content (TikTok, Instagram Reels) in folklore creation
• Increasing sophistication of augmented reality (AR) filters and effects
• Integration of interactive elements in memes and digital narratives
• Potential impact of blockchain technology on content creation and ownership

AI-generated content

• Role of artificial intelligence in creating and spreading internet folklore
• Ethical considerations surrounding AI-generated memes and stories
• Potential for AI to analyze and predict viral content trends
• Examples of AI-created memes and their reception in online communities

Virtual and augmented reality

• Potential for immersive storytelling and folklore experiences in VR environments
• Integration of AR elements in real-world folklore practices
• Challenges of preserving and studying VR/AR-based folklore
• Speculative formats for future internet folklore in mixed reality spaces