Building a Legend: The 'Skinny' on the Slender Man

Abstract

This paper explores folklorist Richard Dorson's distinction between folklore and 'fakelore'—that is, folklore-like material that has been created deliberately and mass-disseminated, often for monetary or ideological purposes. Framed by 'the Slender Man,' a legend-like figure that has been circulating since 2009, the author demonstrates that the distinction between folklore and fakelore is not as clear-cut as it once was, and argues that the digital age may require a shift in folklore terminology.