An urban legend can be conceptualized as popular typologies of folklore in the contemporary society. In most instances, urban legends are intriguing accounts of woes that tend to excite or incite the audience. The underlying impacts of an urban legend are the creation of emotional impacts on the audience. The impacts tend to be more pronounced among the persons who believe in the line of thought being relayed through a tale of an urban legend. Urban legends are often characterized by minimal truths or none at all, which compels audiences not to believe the stories but are compelled to the liver by their suggestions.[1]
This explains why many of the urban legends persist across generations. This paper focuses on the Slenderman as an urban legend.
Since its birth in 2009, Slenderman has remained an influential urban legend that shapes the views and beliefs of audiences. The origin of the Slenderman can be traced to the content that was held by the internet forum Something Awful. In particular, the form required contestants to edit common photographs to make them paranormal. Knudsen created the Slenderman. Based on his narrative to the forum that he intended to create an artwork that would create unease and terror among the audience.[2]
Slenderman’s face was featureless with the body being tall and extremely thin.
Following the submission of the Slenderman, multiple narrations about the character came up among the audience. Some theorized that his back had tentacles that had the potential to cause amnesia. Further, there were rumors that he could be hiding in the woods. The different versions of the Slenderman depend primarily on the person telling the story. This means that there is no uniform account of who the Slenderman was, his origins as well as capabilities. From the day it was commissioned, the popularity of the Slenderman has been on an upward trend. This is evident by the resolve of many people to imitate the dress code of the urban legend during major celebrations such as the Halloween.
The creation of the Slenderman urban legend is argued to reflect some of the fears of the society. For instance, many people in the society are skeptical about faceless men who adore black suits. The fear is aggravated when such characters are found in the forests, or on the internet, considering the factors that led to the creation of the urban legend. Many people contend that the creation of the Slenderman has outlived the primary reason why it was authored. It has grown popular through its fascinating and horrifying tendencies.[3]
However, this depends on the perspective if the audience, as there is a variation in views.
The creation of the Slenderman has led to various changes in the society, including its integration into video games and films. The primary rationale for this is the tendency of many audiences to relate to the urban legend in the Slenderman. This is consistent with the description of what urban legends do, instill fear, incite as well as excite the audiences. Slenderman is reported to be one of the contributing factors to an attempt by two teens to terminate the life of their fellow in the United States.[4]
The primary explanation of this is the inspiration that Slenderman confers to the audiences. It has been associated with multiple horror incidences across the country.
Bibliography
Butler, Mark. "Slender Man: How A Modern Urban Legend Came To Haunt A Generation." Inews. Last modified 2017. Accessed March 29, 2018. https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/slender-man-modern-urban-legend/.
Cantrell, Mary. "Urban Legends: Why Do People Believe Them?." PhD diss., Wake Forest University, 2010.
CBS News. "The Slenderman Legend: Everything You Need To Know". Cbsnews.Com. Last modified 2018. Accessed March 29, 2018. https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-slenderman-legend-everything-you-need-to-know/.
Farber, Neil. "Slender Man: Blaming The Media: Is That The Answer?". Psychology Today. Last modified 2014. Accessed March 29, 2018. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-blame-game/201406/slender-man.
[1] Cantrell, Mary. "Urban Legends: Why Do People Believe Them?." PhD diss., Wake Forest University, 2010.
[2] CBS News, "The Slenderman Legend: Everything You Need To Know", Cbsnews.Com, last modified 2018, accessed March 29, 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the-slenderman-legend-everything-you-need-to-know/.
[3] Mark Butler, "Slender Man: How A Modern Urban Legend Came To Haunt A Generation", Inews, last modified 2017, accessed March 29, 2018, https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/slender-man-modern-urban-legend/.
[4] Neil Farber, "Slender Man: Blaming The Media: Is That The Answer?", Psychology Today, last modified 2014, accessed March 29, 2018, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-blame-game/201406/slender-man.
