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Folklore has found a new home on social media, according to actor and writer Charlie Cooper. Cooper, who grew up surrounded by local traditions and ghost stories in Gloucestershire, is the host of a new BBC series exploring myths across the UK. He says there is now a “resurgence” among young people who are interested in folklore, with many online communities dedicated to the subject. Enthusiasts are using dedicated Facebook and Instagram groups, as well as #folklorethursday on Twitter, to share their own content or find out about events.
Cooper says that social media has helped make these events more popular, as people are able to discover them and want to be part of it. On TikTok, people share videos retelling stories, myths and legends about everything from Scottish fairies, Welsh giants and the Irish Dullahan, a headless horseback rider. Sharing folklore stories according to Matthew Cheeseman, a professor of Writing and Folklore at the University of Derby can help provide “a sense of rootedness” that many young people are looking for.
The pandemic appears to have accelerated the trend towards folklore, with Siân Powell, a TikTok creator with a master’s degree in Celtic Studies, saying she noticed a “huge surge” in interest in the subject on the platform during lockdowns. Cooper argues that although folklore is always changing, it still holds plenty of value, and folklore traditions like Morris dancing now attract a modern audience by being updated and modernised.
Folklore is not necessarily “old and ancient” but rather about the process of sharing stories, says Professor Cheeseman. Urban legends shared on the internet have “become their own form of folklore”, says Powell. Sharing stories of paranormal activity or strange occurrences can provide a sense of community and belonging to the wider community and landscape, Cooper suggests
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