#StorytellingPSA
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I know I have ranted about this before, but: now I am running across entire websites with "folktales" that don't exist, referencing sources that also don't exist.
Why is it a problem, you ask? A story is a story?
No. Not if it is assigned to an actual existing culture. If it is claimed to represent the heritage of an indigenous tradition. Oral tradition is endangered already in many ways. We don't need AI to enshittify this.
Check your sources.
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I know I have ranted about this before, but: now I am running across entire websites with "folktales" that don't exist, referencing sources that also don't exist.
Why is it a problem, you ask? A story is a story?
No. Not if it is assigned to an actual existing culture. If it is claimed to represent the heritage of an indigenous tradition. Oral tradition is endangered already in many ways. We don't need AI to enshittify this.
Check your sources.
@TarkabarkaHolgy I discussed this a couple months ago, though at least the text was real and not AI in that case, just inadequately cited in my opinion ("Native American North American" is NOT a proper citation of a Sioux tale!!). https://writeout.ink/@ljwrites/115755078445647803 The same site was also passing off a work of modern fiction/modified retelling as Korean folktale. So many bad practices on folktale sites and collections even before AI enters the picture...
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I know I have ranted about this before, but: now I am running across entire websites with "folktales" that don't exist, referencing sources that also don't exist.
Why is it a problem, you ask? A story is a story?
No. Not if it is assigned to an actual existing culture. If it is claimed to represent the heritage of an indigenous tradition. Oral tradition is endangered already in many ways. We don't need AI to enshittify this.
Check your sources.
@TarkabarkaHolgy sadly, you sre very likely preaching to the choir. Like, folks on Mastodon get it.
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@TarkabarkaHolgy sadly, you sre very likely preaching to the choir. Like, folks on Mastodon get it.
@herrold true, but I sometimes need to preach to the choir so that I don't feel completely insane.
"Everyone is crazy around here and I'm the only refrigerator."
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I know I have ranted about this before, but: now I am running across entire websites with "folktales" that don't exist, referencing sources that also don't exist.
Why is it a problem, you ask? A story is a story?
No. Not if it is assigned to an actual existing culture. If it is claimed to represent the heritage of an indigenous tradition. Oral tradition is endangered already in many ways. We don't need AI to enshittify this.
Check your sources.
@TarkabarkaHolgy Yeah, this was already a problem before #AI, even with the pretty well-documented Graeco-Roman mythology. And AI is supercharging this.
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@TarkabarkaHolgy Yeah, this was already a problem before #AI, even with the pretty well-documented Graeco-Roman mythology. And AI is supercharging this.
@AimeeMaroux @TarkabarkaHolgy That’s the thing, there’s a long history of people fabricating stories and proverbs, with false attributions, just to sell books, calendars, etc. But now there’s a machine that can crank out these fabrications at incredible scale, and automatically publish them in every context.
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I know I have ranted about this before, but: now I am running across entire websites with "folktales" that don't exist, referencing sources that also don't exist.
Why is it a problem, you ask? A story is a story?
No. Not if it is assigned to an actual existing culture. If it is claimed to represent the heritage of an indigenous tradition. Oral tradition is endangered already in many ways. We don't need AI to enshittify this.
Check your sources.
@TarkabarkaHolgy I'm currently reading a series of articles by Rikard Berge, a prolific Norwegian folklorist of the early 20. century, treating the style of the folktale. Based on his considerable collection experience, he is able to identify elements given in written folktales that no tradition bearer would ever utter. These additions go back to the earliest published collections.
Learning such secrets will protect us from the grift until the bubble bursts.
Unfortunately, the articles are all but untranslatable because of the reproduction of oral performances.
[Now posting from the right account. Sorry about the interuption.]
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