Digital Folklore – Trevor Blank, Roberta Pearson – 2015
Digital Folklore
Trevor Blank and Roberta Pearson’s Digital Folklore examines the emergent folklore of the internet age. The authors explore how traditional folkloric motifs – rumor, legend, urban tales – manifest and evolve within digital spaces, focusing on phenomena like creepypasta, online challenges, and viral memes. A central tenet of the work is that these digital expressions are not simply modern replacements for older forms of folklore, but represent a continuation of fundamental human storytelling and belief systems adapted to new technologies.
Historical / Cultural Context
Published in 2015, Digital Folklore arrives during a period of rapid expansion of internet culture and the increasing academic study of digital humanities. Prior to this work, much scholarship treated online content as ephemeral or trivial. Blank and Pearson position their study within a growing movement to acknowledge the cultural significance of digital artifacts and the communities that create and circulate them. The book builds upon foundational folkloric theory, applying it to the unique characteristics of networked communication, such as anonymity, remix culture, and global reach. It reflects a shift in understanding folklore from primarily oral traditions to a broader conception encompassing digitally mediated expressions.
Who This Book Is For
This book will be of particular interest to students and scholars of folklore, digital humanities, media studies, and communication. It is accessible to general readers with an interest in internet culture, but its analytical approach and engagement with folkloric theory lean toward an academic audience. The authors avoid overly technical jargon, making the core concepts understandable to those unfamiliar with academic folklore studies.
Further Reading
- Henry Jenkins, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide (2006): Explores the dynamics of participatory culture and media convergence, providing a relevant context for understanding the creation and spread of digital folklore.
- Manovich, Lev. The Language of New Media (2001): Offers a theoretical framework for understanding the aesthetic and cultural properties of digital media.
- Howard Rheingold, The Virtual Community (1993): A foundational text exploring the social dynamics of online communities, relevant to understanding the formation and maintenance of digital folklore traditions.
Disclaimer.
Oraclepedia is an independent educational and cultural project. The material presented explores myths, belief systems, symbolic traditions, and aspects of human perception from historical, cultural, and psychological perspectives.
Content is provided for informational and reflective purposes only and does not promote specific beliefs, spiritual practices, or ideological positions. Interpretations presented reflect scholarly, cultural, or symbolic analysis rather than factual claims about the natural world.