The obscurity of origins in reality formation: Slender Man and digital mythology

Where an idea is seen to originate from is an important but overlooked part of reality formation. Myth is a mode of expression that works with this idea of obscure origins to precontextualise its object, to make it seem like it has always been thus and that its current formation is not contingent. I explore this dynamic with regards to digital mythmaking: mythmaking that occurs chiefly through online platforms. I use the digital folklore of Slender Man as my main case study.