The Mexican Transmission of "Lights Out!"

• Autores: Gonzalo Soltero
• Localización: Journal of Folklore Research, ISSN-e 1543-0413, Vol. 53, Nº. 3, 2016, págs. 115-135
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • "Lights Out!" is a contemporary legend that had a very intense spread throughout the United States in 1993. Twelve years later the same legend caused a similarly powerful rumor panic in Mexico, spreading mostly through emails and the media. This article compares these two cycles of transmission from an interdisciplinary perspective. The thesis of this article is that the atmosphere of uncertainty and public danger in Mexico, aided by technology in the dissemination of the warning and distrust in authorities, acted as a hotbed that accounts for the intensity of the legend circulation in Mexico.