Urban Legends and ERumors

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Urban Legends and E-Rumors

• What is an urban legend?
• How does it develop?
• Why do people repeat these tales?
• What makes a tale believable?
• How can you tell if a story is untrue?

• Urban legends are exaggerated tales, often based
  on an actual event, retold from person to person
  until circulated widely within a community.
• 1 Begins with an element of truth
• 2 Spreads from friend to friend
• 3 E-mail makes transmission easier
• 1 Moral Lesson
• 2 The Wow factor
• 3 To warn friends
• 1 Details--names, locations, statistics
• 2 Documented source
• 1 No source or first- hand information
• 2 Details missing or do not make sense
• 3 Seems unreal or unbelievable