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Slide 1: 

FolkNets:The Emergence of the Vernacular Internet Robert Glenn Howard The University of Wisconsin Madison rghoward.com

What’s Folklore? : 

What’s Folklore? “kid’s” stuff? fairies and goblins? “simple” stuff? “rural” etc. ? “primitive” stuff? non-Western? No way!

The “Folk” is us! : 

The “Folk” is us! folklore — human behaviors that exhibit traditional qualities community as “reservoir” innovation expression back to the “reservoir” expressions are recognizable as “traditional” when they have consistency across time and space

genres of folklore : 

genres of folklore narrating folk speech folk art folk music folk belief . . . and more!

What does this stuff “look” like? : 

What does this stuff “look” like? consistencies in form — the “container” legend — discourse on belief “Knock, Knock.” content — the stuff in the “container” mean stepmothers chickens (in jokes)

The “Folk” got “Lore” : 

The “Folk” got “Lore” “Lore” knowledge of forms and/or content “Folk” The people who “have” this lore. We know people “have” it when they share it. “Folklore” is manifest in expressive human behaviors. Each expression innovates on previous expressions.

the photoshop : 

the photoshop the ironic manipulation of digital images “Tourist Guy”

Tourist Guy + Concord : 

Tourist Guy + Concord

Tourist Guy + Hindenburg : 

Tourist Guy + Hindenburg

Tourist Guy + Titanic : 

Tourist Guy + Titanic

Tourist Guy + Titanic : 

Tourist Guy + Titanic individuals use institutional content to create vernacular meaning with the form

Tourist Guy + Godzilla : 

Tourist Guy + Godzilla

Tourist Guy in Ghostbusters : 

Tourist Guy in Ghostbusters

Tourist Guy as Bin Laden : 

Tourist Guy as Bin Laden

Photoshop jokes : 

Photoshop jokes

genre overlap? : 

genre overlap? Is this ironic or (and?) sexy?

forms community : 

forms community photoshopping new form of folk art various content individuals who are both consumers and producers Internet technologies email list exchanges UseNet/NetNews Web-based bulletin boards photoshopcontest.com

photoshopcontest.com : 

photoshopcontest.com

fish photoshop contest : 

fish photoshop contest

image manipulated : 

image manipulated

image manipulated again . . . : 

image manipulated again . . .

and again . . . : 

and again . . .

a mini-tradition emerges : 

a mini-tradition emerges

Folklore is shared. : 

Folklore is shared. “communis” community communication

Folklore is free! : 

Folklore is free! not fee-based not paid for in schools not paid for as books or recordings not copyrighted communally held remains free when freely expressed not so bright a line can record a “folk song” and still be largely “folk”

not “folk:” institutional : 

not “folk:” institutional folklore is the “non-institutional” folklore arises from, in, and for informal social expression institutional learned through formal schools, public institutions, or government documents newspaper stories algebra not so bright a line Are there “traditional” memory devices for math? What about the “A,B,C” song?

“folk:” vernacular : 

“folk:” vernacular defined as that which exists alongside by apart from the institutional Latin versus English, French, Italian, etc. comes from “verna” natively or “home” learned Cicero: “indescribable flavor” distinguished it from the skills of public speaking one learned in formal schools

symbiosis of the vernacular : 

symbiosis of the vernacular The vernacular and institutional need each other. not positive terms “rock” “not-rock”? dialectical terms right the opposite of left vernacular and institutional are defined by their distinction from each other; a dialectic

examples : 

examples photoshopping taken from community innovated on returned without fee the process is outside institutional sanction blogs and blogging most popular vernacular Internet form a bit more complex situation home page the native (“vernacular”) origin of the blog

home page : 

home page history root file “index.html” in your browser “start page”

the early Internet : 

the early Internet first, computer professionals had personal “start”/home pages 1992 1,000,000 Internet hosts only 100 Web sites 1994 89% of Web users reported having been involved in computer programming for 3 years or more 1995 dropped to 65% those who had no computer programming experience: from nearly 0 to 16.78% today over 100 million Websites most Web users today don’t build Web pages

WWW aesthetic changes : 

WWW aesthetic changes commercialism — large audience, more resources people professionalize WWW design more resources, means more complexity new media graphics video sound flash animation services scripting CGI Java etc.

institutional versus vernacular : 

institutional versus vernacular Wells Fargo versus . . . the home pages of personal fish tanks Who commands more resources?

Welcome to Wellsfargo.com : 

Welcome to Wellsfargo.com

My Fish : 

My Fish

The Kohler Aquarium : 

The Kohler Aquarium

Nessa’s Fish Tank : 

Nessa’s Fish Tank

Nessa’s Fish Tank has links : 

Nessa’s Fish Tank has links a definitive form of the home page that evolved into blogs

sharing creates a community : 

sharing creates a community “Shirlie’s Page”

hence, the blog : 

hence, the blog Hermit Crab Blog

b2evolution: a multi-blog system : 

b2evolution: a multi-blog system

blog sites : 

blog sites public free with advertising generates its funding offer “helper” applications makes it easier to use more people have blogs less other people need to view them content can be more “vernacular” because blogging in this way requires fewer resources

When is the Internet vernacular? : 

When is the Internet vernacular? . . . when a given expression bears meaning in dialectical tension between the “institutional” and the “non-institutional” The form of the blog bears this dialectical tension. primarily personal content (from the home page) Part of the blog’s appeal derives from it not being institutional. But maybe I am wrong . . .

the technological community : 

the technological community “Shirlie’s Page”

the blurry line : 

the blurry line about.com 475 “guides” owned by the NYT doesn’t seem so vernacular . . .

every day communities online : 

every day communities online communication technologies increase connections new kinds of communities intertwined with commercial interests community emerges in the interaction between the individual and his or her audience through communication of shared forms Let’s do it! Because we always seem to . . .