How are urban legends generated
Urban Legends come from many places. There is no one source fromwhich they arise, or one method by which they are generated. They arepresent in many different mediums, including oral (i.e. spoken form), print(fiction, non-fiction, newspapers etc) and electronic (television, radio,cinema, Internet).Some Urban Legends are deliberately manufactured hoaxes created to cause alarm and concern by those who take malicious enjoyment from sodoing.
There are a number of examples of stories that appear to fit this mode available via the Urban Legends Library on this site.Some Urban Legends are probably created by people who have encountered a humorous or remarkable story and who wish to retell them in a way that ‘personalises’ them to some degree. In this way such people perhaps seek to make their lives seem richer or more remarkable by closer association to the details of the story.Similarly, some Urban Legends are probably created by people who think of a remarkable yet plausible situation or idea that they believe will entertain others or which may illustrate a point they wish to make. I imagine many Urban Legends have begun in a desire to appear more knowledgeable or more informed on a subject than might truly be the case. And other Urban Legends may be created by people who misremember the details of a story that they have heard or read. So, instead of recounting the tale to others as having happened to this exact person, or in that exact place, they supply details in the retelling that are more familiar and recognisable to them. They may even be unaware that this is what they are doing.