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Folk Culture Online

There's a lot of hand wringing over what the digital age may be doing to us and society as a whole. And though you may not think LOLCats and auto-tuned politicians are high art, Thursday's guests contend the internet is a vibrant platform for human expression. Lynn McNeill and Trevor Blank are folklorists and they say people have been telling stupid jokes and complaining about government long before the web. They join Doug to talk about digital culture and what we can learn about ourselves from it.

Lynne McNeill teaches folklore at Utah State University. She's the author of Folklore Rules [Amazon|Indiebound]

Trevor Blank teaches at SUNY Potsdam. His books include The Last Laugh [Amazon|Indiebound] and Folk Culture in the Digital Age [Amazon|Indiebound

KUER's All Things Considered host Bob Nelson tries his hand at a new meme, "whaling"

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.