Conclusion

Abstract

The book concludes with a discussion on the making of an Internet legend, Slender Man, as a step further in embedding everyday life with supernatural entities. Originated in a contest proposed by the Something Awful website, which made a call for users to post images of phenomena that could pass for paranormal, this figure, which appears in the background of photographs showing children and teenagers, generated a series of horror stories (in the form of creepypasta), web series (Marble Hornets and totheark), horror films, and games. Slender Man has also been pointed to as the motive behind real acts of self-harm and stabbings. The multiple recycling of this monster (which some believe to be real) across a variety of media invites questions about the strange mix of unquestioning belief and exaggerated skepticism that characterizes our approach to information circulated on the Internet and in social media.