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\title{A Discussion of Oral Media: Urban Legends}
\author{Matthew Gray}
\begin{document}
\maketitle
\section*{Introduction}

Typically, when ``media'' is discussed, the focus is on technological
media, such as the radio, television, films, and recently, software
and the World Wide Web.  Additionally, ``media'' is often equated with
``mass media'' because less well distributed media are less able to
have substantial cultural impact.  Television, for example, is
especially well equipped to very widely deliver a message that has a
substantial cultural impact.

\par

Before the existence of these technological innovations, the number of
media to choose from was far more restricted.  Printed media and oral
media still existed, however.  In modern culture, it has been argued,
because of the economic underpinnings of mass media, cultural
narratives have become almost entirely corporate property.  While
clearly a large amount of modern cultural narrative is generated and
owned by large corporations, particularly in the realm of television
and films, modern culture is not without narratives that are
communally owned.  These narratives are primarily transmitted via oral
media.

\section{A Definition of Oral Media}

Oral media here is taken to include all communication that is
typically done individual-to-individual, or individual-to-small-group.
This is a very inclusive definition, and includes phone calls, email,
postal mail, newsletters, community announcements, and any other
communication where the people involved know each other personally at
some level.  This definition is not meant to preclude oral media being
a ``mass media'', it is merely not {\it centralized} mass media.

\section*{Urban Legends}

The aforementioned narratives are commonly referred to as ``Urban
Legends''.  Urban Legends are typically transmitted via oral media.

\par

Urban Legends typically play to some strong emotion and often, but not
always, have some sort of moral message.  Usually, for successful
transmission, they appeal to some sense of ``public good''.

\section*{Craig, Mrs. Fields, and the Ankle Slashers}

Briefly, presented here are capsule descriptions of three fairly
widespread Urban Legends which will be discussed in more detail.

\par

{\bf Craig Shergold}.  Craig Shergold is a poor little British boy
dying of cancer and through the ``Make-A-Wish'' foundation has wished
to get in the Guiness Book of World Records for receiving the most Get
Well cards.  Please send him cards and make a little boy happy.\footnote{Entirely true, but incomplete.  See {\bf Impact of Oral Media} section for details}

\par

{\bf Mrs. Fields}.  A friend of a friend of mine was buying a bunch of
Mrs. Fields cookies, and asked the manager if it would be possible to
get the recipe.  He said no.  My friend then asked if she could {\it
buy} the recipe and was told ``Sure, for two fifty''.  She had him add
it to her bill and took her cookies and recipe home.  Upon receiving
her credit card bill, she found it was for over \$260 dollars, as she
had been charged \$250 for the recipe.  In retaliation for being duped,
she is distributing the recipe everywhere, and here it
is....\footnote{Entirely false}

\par

{\bf Ankle Slashers}.  In mall parking lots across America, a new type
of crime is occuring.  Young hoodlums will hide underneath cars in
parking lots, and when the shoppers return, the hoodlums will slash
their ankles from beneath the car, and steal their purchases and
sometimes their car.\footnote{Entirely false}

\section*{Impact of Oral Media}

By the fact that these are transmitted orally, they are subject to
error and variation more than narratives that are centrally
distributed.  Variations on each of the above stories exist in
substantial variety.  For the Craig Shergold story, the boy's age
changes, the boy's name changes, and whether he wants get well, post,
or business cards changes.  Variations on the Mrs. Fields story
include changes in the recipe, and claiming it is from Niemann Marcus
instead of Mrs. Fields.  The ankle slashers story is similarly
embellished and modified in terms of locale, motivation, and effect.

\par

Additionally, because of the nature of their transmission, these
narratives, all of which typically are reported as true, are very
difficult to correct when errors are realized.  In the latter two
cases, these errors are relatively harmless and merely add color to
the story, and at worst, cause misplaced emotions toward entities in
the stories.  In the case of Craig Shergold however, the inability to
correct errors has caused substantial problems.

\par

The true story of Craig Shergold is more or less as is related above,
but has the added features that the wish was made in 1989, Craig made
it into the Guiness Book in 1990, he received so much attention
through his wish, an American philanthropist payed for him to recieve
medical treatment in the US, and was cured of his cancer in 1991.  The
mail, however, keeps coming, placing substantial burden on the local
Post Offices and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  It is estimated Craig
has been sent in excess of 100 million cards, though official counting
ceased at 60 million.

\par

Often, corrections succeed in rapidly following the legends, lest
someone beleive them true and take rash or inappropriate actions, but
the nature of the media makes it very difficult to do so under some
circumstances.

\section*{Cultural Motivations}

Each of these legends has its own reasons for propagation.  Spread of
the Craig Shergold story seems substantially spurred by a combination
of compassion and a sense of being able to relatively easily help in
what in many ways seems like a helpless situation.  As evidenced by
the extent to which this legend has spread, it clearly strikes a
particular chord within society: A desire to help, especially when it
is easy.

\par

The Mrs. Fields story, on the other hand, appeals to a sense of
justice.  Specifically, it represents a sense of justice that succeeds
in vindicating the individual in the face of corporate giants.  Once
this justice has been served, the story propogates by the desire to
share this triumph, and in this case booty, in the form of the recipe.

\par

The ankle slashers story is somewhat less widespread than the others,
but is typical of a third brand of fear-motivated legends.  Other
often recognized legends in this same category include the ``laptop
thieves at airport security'' story, ``involuntary organ donation''
story, and the ``death by jeans shrinking in rain'' story.  The
motivation for distribution of these stories tends to be in the name
of enhanced public awareness.  In fact most of these stories are
entirely false, but the perception of needing to be warned of these
threats to our person, particularly in gruesome or otherwise extreme
ways, encourages propagation and highlights the specific nature of
some the fears society has.

\section*{Technological Impact}

While each of these legends are relatively modern, and hence seemingly
less subject to technological impact, they have in fact come at a time
where computer mediated oral communication is becoming widespread.

\par

The Craig Shergold legend, because its basis in fact is well
documented, is a case that can be tracked well.  The story began its
disemmination in 1989, and the actual request was no longer being sent
in 1990, and Craig was cured in 1991, all before the recent explosive
growth of computer mediated communication.  As people began to
populate the Internet, substantially driven by the web, new types of
oral media became available for distribution of these stories.

\par

The timeline of these events identifies two important points.  First,
the legend of Craig Shergold spread quite well between 1989 and 1991
via oral media not dominated by email or other computer mediated
communication.  In fact, in this time over 10 million cards were
received.

\par

Second, the widespread use of email spread the story even further.
The Make-A-Wish foundation has an 800 number to handle questions about
Craig Shergold and noticed a roughly four-fold increase in call volume
in 1995, as the Internet craze had recently reached true popular
acceptance.\footnote{Additionally, there are web sites which fully
document the details of these legends, and attempt to dissuade their
dissemination, when harmful, as in the case of Craig Shergold}

\section*{Conclusion}

Culturally owned narratives are still rather ubiquitous even in our
mass media society.  These narratives are often, however, not
recognized as such, but would not likely otherwise be spread.
Computer mediated communication is bringing new oral media into
popular use, in email, faxes, chat groups, and other discussion
forums.  Other oral media, however, are still widely and effectively
used in society to distribute culturally owned narratives.

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