Ghosts in the cyber world. An analysis of folklore sites on the Internet

For many of its users, the Internet breaks communication barriers and encourages informal exchange of knowledge and experience as well as search for others sharing similar concerns, interests and hobbies. This paper is devoted to the specifics of ghost stories as a sub-genre of contemporary legends. It analyzes the structure and mode of activities of the Internet discussion group alt.folklore.ghost-stories. We study computer-mediated folklore storytelling and discussion as a type of communication and examine the textual characteristics of electronic folklore as compared with its traditional counterpart.