Have you ever stumbled across a quirky GIF that made your day, or maybe spent hours laughing at memes? Well, Olia Lialina’s book, “Digital Folklore,” co-edited with Dragan Espenschied, is like a love letter to these everyday digital creations. Published in 2009, it’s a fascinating journey through the world of internet culture, viewed not from the eyes of tech giants or professional designers, but through the lens of regular folks like you and me.

Imagine someone who doesn’t just browse the web but sees it as a canvas for creativity and expression. That’s Olia Lialina for you. She’s not just an author; she’s a digital artist and a visionary who saw the beauty in the internet’s chaos long before the rest of us caught on.

What’s so special about “Digital Folklore”? It’s all about celebrating the unsung heroes of the digital world. You know, the people who make those funny cat videos, the DIY website creators, and everyone who’s ever made a meme. Lialina and Espenschied dive into this world and pull out the magic that makes the internet such a unique place.

It’s like a treasure chest of internet wonders. The book talks about how these seemingly simple digital creations are actually a form of folklore. Just like how folk songs and stories passed down through generations tell us about our culture, these digital bits and pieces give us a glimpse into the internet era’s culture.

In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with professionally made content, “Digital Folklore” is a refreshing reminder of the internet’s democratic nature. It tells us that our small contributions matter, that they add color and life to the vast digital landscape.

When “Digital Folklore” hit the shelves, it was like someone finally put into words what many of us felt but couldn’t express. It wasn’t just a hit among tech geeks but also resonated with artists, historians, and anyone fascinated by the evolving culture of the internet.

Reading “Digital Folklore” is like going on an adventure through the wild, wonderful world of the internet. It’s a celebration of the creativity and spirit of regular netizens. So, the next time you share a meme or customize your blog, remember – you’re part of the rich tapestry of digital folklore that Olia Lialina so brilliantly brings to light.

Olia Lialina, Professor for New Media at Merz Akademie, comments: “One day there will be Digital Folklore 2 or Digital Folklore Reloaded, but in the meantime we release a PDF of the book. Why on dat://? The original intention of digital folklore research and the book was to praise the amateurs who made computers and the web their own, and created rich vernacular cultures. Ten years later we still believe in user agency, in the power of peers to work, build, and exist outside of centralized services and walled gardens. We see it happening on dat://. So we put the pages of Digital Folklore into your hands, onto your computers. Yours, Olia, Dragan, Manuel and Merz Akademie ”

We are very proud to share the news that “Digital Folkore”, edited by Olia Lialina and Dragan Espenschied and designed by Manuel Bürger, is finally released online as a free PDF via the dat:// protocol! The book is accessible via the P2P browser Beaker.

Links and instructions are provided on https://digitalfolklore.org/.