Urban legends creep through our society, by way of rumor, one person at a time. They elicited fear, anxiety, humor and caution: Will you wake up in the bathtub without a kidney, is there a homicidal maniac hiding in the back seat of your car, and are there really people in Nigeria who need you to wire them millions of dollars? It’s possible; it happened to a friend of a friend and I received the original email…
Why do we believe in urban legends? Is it the suspense? Are the stories about real people in believable situations? Or, is there some truth in the stories?
Urban legends have been around since the 1930’s. But, over the past 10 years, urban legends have increased in number because of the internet. Sending information over the internet is easy, fast, popular, and does not require disclosure. I believe that the wide discrepancies in “the truth” proliferate throughout the internet because the internet has no boundaries. When using the internet, you can be anyone, say anything, and send information to as many people in one setting, as you wish. He or she can hide their identity, pretend to be someone their not, and play out fantasies. Urban legends have become a part of the phenomena.
But why send discrepancies?
They usually contain information that is not easily verifiable. The person starting the urban legend may feel superior during its initiation. Humans have a need to trust people, for their own comfort; and if you trust someone, you will believe anything. Detailed urban legends lend to their credibility. Lastly, lack of critical thinking allows you to take things for their “face value”.
My Take Away: I believe that it is human nature to tell stories or discrepancies that feed into our emotions and fears, and if there is an audience, the rumors will continue.
Additional links:
Snopes.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B2dqUcSiJI&NR=1
http://www.lifeinthefastlane.ca/urban-legends-revealed/offbeat-news
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