# Legends: Folklore on Reddit

**Authors:** Caitrin Armstrong, Derek Ruths  
**arXiv:** [2007.00750](https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.00750)  
**Date:** 2020-07-01  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/2007.00750v1/

## Key points

- Reddit legends are venerated old posts that have gained fame within the Reddit community
- The authors aim to explore the utility of Reddit legends in computational science/HCI and folkloristics
- They investigate whether these posts can be considered folklore, examining factors such as consistent form, cultural significance, and spontaneous transmission
- They explore whether Reddit legends can be studied systematically
- The authors create a typology to categorize different types of Reddit legends and analyze references to these legends within the platform
- They examine textual characteristics related to referencing behavior
- Reddit legends meet the criteria for being considered folklore and can be effectively studied using text-based approaches
- The findings have implications for future analyses of folklore on Reddit, enabling tracking of subreddit-wide and individual-user behavior related to folklore
- There is potential for exploring the relationship between this behavior and other cultural markers present within the platform
- This paper establishes a foundation for further research in computational science/HCI and folkloristics by demonstrating the systematic studyability of Reddit legends as digital folklore.

## Summary

In the paper titled "Legends: Folklore on Reddit," authors Caitrin Armstrong and Derek Ruths introduce the concept of Reddit legends, which are venerated old posts that have gained fame within the Reddit community. The authors aim to explore the utility of Reddit legends in both computational science/HCI and folkloristics by addressing two main questions. Firstly, they investigate whether these posts can be considered folklore, examining factors such as their consistent form, cultural significance, and spontaneous transmission. Secondly, they explore whether Reddit legends can be studied in a systematic manner. To answer these questions, the authors undertake several subtasks. They create a typology to categorize different types of Reddit legends and analyze references to these legends within the platform. Additionally, they examine textual characteristics related to referencing behavior. Through their analysis, they demonstrate that Reddit legends do indeed meet the criteria for being considered folklore and can be effectively studied using text-based approaches. The findings of this research have significant implications for future analyses of folklore on Reddit. The authors discuss how their results enable tracking of subreddit-wide and individual-user behavior related to folklore. Furthermore, they highlight the potential for exploring the relationship between this behavior and other cultural markers present within the platform. Overall, this paper provides valuable insights into the phenomenon of Reddit legends as a form of digital folklore. It establishes a foundation for further research in computational science/HCI and folkloristics by demonstrating the systematic studyability of these online cultural artifacts.