logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2014
27m 57s

Tales

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Aleks Krotoski looks at whether how we tell stories has changed with the digital world. And it looks like it has much more to do with our distant past that we might think.

She begins by looking at the online phenomena of the Slender Man a supernatural figure that's been appearing in pictures, blogs and YouTube movies since 2009 and is described as the first great myth of the web.

Aleks speaks to AS Byatt to understand what story is for before examining how modern online storytelling bears a striking resemblance to oral traditions of medieval times. To see this in action she explores the growth of the Slender Man myth and how its community based evolution mimics how legends grew in the past.

But for many of these stories they still don't make the most of what the digital world has to offer storytellers. For this Aleks turns to Alison Norrington one of the world's leading proponents of trans-media stories.

Up next
Feb 2024
Update from the Digital Human Team
The Digital Human is pausing to focus on what everyone's talking about - AI. Join Aleks and her co-host Kevin Fong for The Artifical Human from BBC Radio 4, listen on BBC Sounds. 
1m 7s
Nov 2023
Reminiscence
‘I asked myself this very question after a family member was affected by dementia. In her later years, the only person my grandmother still remembered was her husband – but he had passed away several years earlier. She asked about him every morning and finding out that he had die ... Show More
29m 4s
Nov 2023
Permanence
Aleks Krotoski explores a story which sought to be forgotten, but wasn't. Agrippa (A Book of the Dead), was published in 1992. It was a book designed to decay from its very first use. It was an unusual conceit, and played into our fears about malfunctioning technology ahead of th ... Show More
27m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2021
There Are No Girls on the Internet x Stuff Mom Never Told You
Have you ever wondered about the origins of some of the digital symbols and icons we use in the world of technology? Bridget Todd shares the story of Susan Kare, the woman behind some of the most iconic designs woven into the fabric of what it looks like to use computers and the ... Show More
43 m
Jul 2020
Episode 418: The Slenderman Enigma
<p>Today, we explore the internet phenomenon known as Slenderman from the perspective of a living story that somehow managed to jump out into the real world despite being super lame. Will his domination be challenged by the Scungilli Man? Only time will tell. </p><p>Kevin MacLeod ... Show More
1h 26m
Jan 2023
304-Celtic Folklore: Among Us
<div>Two stories from Celtic folklore of the things that lurk among us: witches that live in our home town, trolls that hold dance parties on the frozen wastes, and tiny, 1000-year-old fairy creatures who are buying drinks after work.<br> <br> The creature this week is the Giant ... Show More
37m 42s
Jul 2024
The Art of Storytelling
tail spinning
1h 54m
Dec 2020
Episode 160: Sleight of Hand
tail spinning
32m 1s
Dec 2024
DARK WEB: Slender Man
<p>In 2009, a mysterious post popped up on internet forums – a series of photographs featuring a sinister entity depicted as a tall, faceless figure in a suit, with elongated limbs and tentacles. Slender Man, as he came to be known, went on to haunt every corner of the internet. ... Show More
34m 11s
Mar 2023
Look Sharp
Today we visit two tales of out-of-place characters, and the legacy they've left behind.Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes!: https://www.patreon.com/grimandmildSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
8m 41s