Digital Monsters

In this class, we dive deep into the world of digital monsters. We see how the online world is full of mythology and folklore. We learn about how storytelling exists online, and what monstrosity can teach us about ourselves and the world around us. If you're interested in finding out more about what the digital environment has to teach us, and harbour a love for monsters, then this is a class for you.

We not only explore what monsters may mean, but dive into separate case studies of digital monsters, such as the Rake, the Slender Man and the Momo Challenge. What do these monsters teach us about the world around us, and what can learn about ourselves? Using anthropology as a backing, we explore the world of the online monster.

In this course we will explore:

• Storytelling On and Off-line

  • an introduction to mythology and folklore

  • what contemporary mythology looks like

  • how memes are folklore and mythology

• Monsters

  • we explore the concept of a monster

  • we explore the idea of Monster Theory

  • see how monsters are real

• Digital Monsters

  • how monsters play with belief

  • how monsters are formed through mass communal storytelling

  • the story of the Rake

  • see monsters as Tulpas

  • the story of the Slender Man

• The Internet as Monster

  • how the internet mimics the wilderness of old folklore

  • the story of Ben Drowned

  • how the virtual is itself a monster

  • the story of Momo