Editing Folklore (section)

=== In the electronic age ===
Folklorists have begun to identify how the advent of electronic communications will modify and change the performance and transmission of folklore artifacts. It is clear that the internet is modifying folkloric process, not killing it, as despite the historic association between folklore and anti-modernity, people continue to use traditional expressive forms in new media, including the internet.{{sfn|Blank|Howard|2013|pages=4, 9, 11}} Jokes and joking are as plentiful as ever both in traditional face-to-face interactions and through electronic transmission. New communication modes are also transforming traditional stories into many different configurations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schwabe |first=Claudia |title=The Fairy Tale and Its Uses in Contemporary New Media and Popular Culture Introduction |url= |journal=[[Humanities (journal)|Humanities]] |year=2016 |volume=5 |issue=4 |page=81 |doi=10.3390/h5040081 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The fairy tale [[Snow White]] is now offered in [[Snow White (disambiguation)|multiple media forms]] for both children and adults, including a television show and video game.

Yeh et al. (2023) suggest that user-generated content (UGC) should be considered as folklore, especially in mental health communities, because it conveys informal, unofficial knowledge through first-hand stories of treatment experiences. These narratives, often shared on YouTube, serve to educate and transmit culture, much like traditional folklore. They provide insight into mental health consumers' experiences with antidepressants, highlighting where they obtain information, gaps in their knowledge, and obstacles to seeking or continuing treatment. UGC in the form of YouTube reviews reflects dynamic, recurring expressions that function as a modern-day method of passing on informal knowledge.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Yeh|first1=Marie|last2=Walker|first2=Kristen|last3=Legocki|first3=Kimberly|last4=Eilert|first4=Meike|title=Folklore as a frame for understanding UGC: pharma folklore from YouTube reflections on psychiatric drugs for depression |url= |journal=[[Journal of Marketing Management]] |year=2023 |volume=39 |issue=15–16 |pages=1391–1416|doi=10.1080/0267257X.2023.2209579 |quote=In our study, the folk in the folklore are people with mental disorders who shared their worldview about depression drug treatment. We suggest using folklore as a framework to help capture other groups’ cultural worldviews that can inform consumer understanding.}}</ref>