Toward a Conceptual Framework for the Study of Folklore and the Internet

Trevor J. Blank

• Publisher: Utah State University Press
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9780874219456
• Topic: Sciences sociales
• Subtopic: Sociologie

Trevor Blank broke new ground for the field of folklore studiesin this essayby rationalizing the study of the internet as an important area of expressive vernacular culture. Pushing back against traditionalists who dismissed the digital as simply the domain of technicians and mass media, Blank argues that "from the earliest moments of the modern Internet's existence, folklore was a central component of the domain, moderating the intersection of computer professionals with hackers, newfangled lingo, and the dispersal of stories, pranks, and legends." With this essay and the volume it introduces, Blank theorizes the internet as an important analytic venue for folklorists, and sets the agenda for digital folklore research.Utah State University Press's Current Arguments in Folklore is a series of thought-provoking, short-form, digital publications made up of provocative original material and selections from foundational titles by leading thinkers in the field. Perfect for the folklore classroom as well as the professional collection, this series provides access to important introductory content as well as innovative new work intended to stimulate scholarly conversation.

References

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Aldred, B. Grantham. 2010. “Identity in 10,000 Pixels: LiveJournal Userpics and Fractured Selves in Web 2.0.” New Directions in Folklore 8, no. 1/2: 6–35.

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Appadurai, Arjun. 1986. The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bargh, John A., Katelyn Y. A. McKenna, and Grainne M. Fitzsimons. 2002. “Can You See the Real Me? Activation and Expression of the ‘True Self’ on the Internet.” Journal of Social Issues 58 (1): 33–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1540-4560.00247.

Bauman, Richard. 1972. “Differential Identity and the Social Base of Folklore.” In Toward New Perspectives in Folklore, ed. Américo Paredes and Richard Bauman, 31–41. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Bauman, Richard. 1983. “Folklore and the Forces of Modernity.” Folklore Forum 16: 153–58.

Bauman, Richard, ed. 1992. Folklore, Cultural Performances, and Popular Entertainments: A Communications-Centered Handbook. New York: Oxford University Press.

Bauman, Richard, and Charles L. Briggs. 2003. Voices of Modernity: Language Ideologies and the Politics of Inequality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511486647.

Baym, Nancy K. 1993. “Interpreting Soap Operas and Creating Community: Inside a Computer-Mediated Fan Culture.” Journal of Folklore Research 30:143–77.

Baym, Nancy K. 2010. Personal Connections in the Digital Age. Malden, MA: Polity Press.

Ben-Amos, Dan. 1971. “Toward a Definition of Folklore in Context.” Journal of American Folklore 84 (331): 3–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/539729.

Ben-Amos, Dan. 1972. “Toward a Definition of Folklore in Context.” In Toward New Perspectives in Folklore, ed. Américo Paredes and Richard Bauman, 3–15. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Bendix, Regina. 1997. In Search of Authenticity: The Formation of Folklore Studies. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

Bendix. 1998. “Of Names, Professional Identities, and Disciplinary Futures.” Journal of American Folklore 111 (441): 235–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/541309.

Bermejo, Fernando. 2007. The Internet Audience: Constitution & Measurement. New York: Peter Lang.

Blank, Trevor J. 2007. “Examining the Transmission of Urban Legends: Making the Case for Folklore Fieldwork on the Internet.” Folklore Forum 37: 15–26.

Blank, Trevor J. 2009a. “Toward a Conceptual Framework for the Study of Folklore and the Internet.” In Folklore and the Internet: Vernacular Expression in a Digital World, ed. Trevor J. Blank, 1–20. Logan: Utah State University Press.

Blank, Trevor J., ed. 2009b. Folklore and the Internet: Vernacular Expression in a Digital World. Logan: Utah State University Press.

Blank, Trevor J. 2009c. “Moonwalking in the Digital Graveyard: Diversions in Oral and Electronic Humor Regarding the Death of Michael Jackson.” Midwestern Folklore 35, no. 2: 71–90.

Blank, Trevor J, ed. 2012a. Folk Culture in the Digital Age: The Emergent Dynamics of Human Interaction. Logan: Utah...

Table of contents

• Toward a Conceptual Framework for the Study of Folklore and the Internet
• Notes
• References
• About the Author