While most people first learned of the creature known as Slender Man in 2014 in the wake of a gruesome attempted murder in Waukesha, Wisconsin, many fans and creators of the online genre known as "creepypasta" had already been familiar with him for years. Blending the tropes of folk legend and literary horror, creepypasta is a collaborative, hybrid genre that provides an entirely new outlet for scaring ourselves silly.

This talk will consider the role that the internet has played in reshaping folklore and folk belief, and will examine several examples of contemporary online horror that illustrate the ways in which folklore continues as a symbolic barometer for society's anxieties and fears in the digital age.

About Dr. Lynne McNeill

Dr. Lynne S. McNeill is an associate professor of Folklore in the English Department at Utah State University, where she also serves as the Director of Graduate Studies. Her research interests include legend, belief, fandom, and digital culture. She is the author of the popular textbook Folklore Rules (2013) and is the co-editor of Slender Man is Coming: Creepypasta and Contemporary Legends on the Internet (2018) and Legend Tripping: A Contemporary Legend Casebook (2018). Her work has also been published in several national and international scholarly journals, including The Journal of American Folklore, Folklore Fellows Communications, Western Folklore, Contemporary Legend, and numerous edited collections.

Dr. McNeill serves on the Media and Public Outreach committee for the American Folklore Society, and as reviews editor for the journal Contemporary Legend. She is a regular cast member on TRVL’s Paranormal Caught on Camera and the History Channel's Holy Marvels and History's Greatest Mysteries, and she has made many additional appearances on national television, radio, and podcast programs. Dr. McNeill is currently working on a book project, Real Virtuality: Serial Collaboration and the Small Worldview, that addresses the intersection between offline folk culture and online networks.