i feel like the word "lore" moreso means "deep knowledge". like, yeah, you've seen a couple tiktoks about oupi goupi, but do you follow lakaka? do you read the comments? do you know the inside jokes? do you watch videos of other creators (maybe even on other platforms) about oupi goupi? now that's lore. it almost feels like a secret club, something exclusive
but still, when using "lore" to mean "internet works of art and folklore" it makes sense to me, because the internet does provide an exclusive experience you would not find anywhere else. it is possible for you to make up a fake movie with your friends and constantly reference it, but to do that with absolute strangers? no. never. you have to be in a certain part of the internet at a certain time to know. now that is lore
p.s. i have even heard friends say "do you know the lore?" when asking whether they have already told me a random fact about themselves or a crazy repressed memory. makes me think that i can say "do you even know my lore?" instead of "do you even know me?"
I think the use of "lore" to refer to random facts about people still fits within the "internet works of art and folklore" definition. We are, after all, encouraged to present our lives as if they were themselves stories. Such a presentation softens things, makes the wonder and horror of daily life more easily digestible. It is less damning to be asked if you truly know a person's *lore* rather than if you truly know the *person*, after all, and it is easier to process a story by electing not to grasp every last implication.
The power of lore comes from the nonexistent dividing line between reality and fiction, the greatest suspension of disbelief.
i feel like the word "lore" moreso means "deep knowledge". like, yeah, you've seen a couple tiktoks about oupi goupi, but do you follow lakaka? do you read the comments? do you know the inside jokes? do you watch videos of other creators (maybe even on other platforms) about oupi goupi? now that's lore. it almost feels like a secret club, something exclusive
but still, when using "lore" to mean "internet works of art and folklore" it makes sense to me, because the internet does provide an exclusive experience you would not find anywhere else. it is possible for you to make up a fake movie with your friends and constantly reference it, but to do that with absolute strangers? no. never. you have to be in a certain part of the internet at a certain time to know. now that is lore
p.s. i have even heard friends say "do you know the lore?" when asking whether they have already told me a random fact about themselves or a crazy repressed memory. makes me think that i can say "do you even know my lore?" instead of "do you even know me?"
I think the use of "lore" to refer to random facts about people still fits within the "internet works of art and folklore" definition. We are, after all, encouraged to present our lives as if they were themselves stories. Such a presentation softens things, makes the wonder and horror of daily life more easily digestible. It is less damning to be asked if you truly know a person's *lore* rather than if you truly know the *person*, after all, and it is easier to process a story by electing not to grasp every last implication.
The power of lore comes from the nonexistent dividing line between reality and fiction, the greatest suspension of disbelief.
I’m so glad I found your Substack 😭😂🫶🏻