The Big Book of Urban Legends by Robert Loren Fleming

Some urban legends are morality tales that depict someone acting in a disagreeable manner, only to wind up in trouble, hurt, or dead. The compelling appeal of a typical urban legend is its elements of mystery, horror, fear, or humor. Many urban legends are framed as complete stories with plot and characters. Brunvand used his collection of legends, The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings (1981) to make two points: first, that legends and folklore do not occur exclusively in so-called primitive or traditional societies, and second, that one could learn much about urban and modern culture by studying such tales. Jan Harold Brunvand, professor of English at the University of Utah, introduced the term to the general public in a series of popular books published beginning in 1981. The term 'urban legend', as used by folklorists, has appeared in print since at least 1968, when it was used by Richard Dorson. Generic urban legends are often altered to suit regional variations, but the lesson or moral remains majorly the same.

Some urban legends have passed through the years/decades with only minor changes, in where the time period takes place. This includes newspapers, mobile news apps, e-mail, and most often, social media.

In the past, urban legends were most often circulated orally however, they can also be spread by any media. Urban legends may confirm moral standards, reflect prejudices, or be a way to make sense of societal anxieties. These legends can be entertaining but often concern mysterious peril or troubling events, such as disappearances and strange objects or entities. An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising fallacious claims or stories circulated as true, especially as having happened to a 'friend of a friend' or a family member, often with horrifying, humorous, or cautionary elements.

The Big Book of Urban Legends by Robert Loren Fleming