The special issue delves into the intersection of folklore, performance, and digitalization, exploring how rituals are reimagined and enacted in contemporary digital spaces. In an era where technology redefines cultural connections, the digitalization of rituals is emerging as a dynamic form of cultural expression and interconnectedness.

The issue adopts a performance-centric approach to examine the enactment of rituals and social appearances in virtual spaces. It seeks to unpack the meaning of culture, map the expansion of spatial geographies, and investigate digital spaces as platforms for performing rituals. The discussions encompass diverse angles:

Rituals as forms of textual play and visual or linguistic creativity.

Digital folklore as a material culture shaped by networked communication.

Vernacular resources for identity formation and the folk art of new media.

The issue explores the transition through Internet folkloristics, vernacular creativity, digital folk art aesthetics, and multiculturalism

Finally, the issue examines how transitioning from physical to digital spaces leads to the expansion, adaptation, and blending of rituals, offering fresh insights into the evolving relationship between folklore, performance, and digital spaces.

The digitalization of rituals marks a transformative moment in folklore and performance studies, reimagining traditional practices in digital spaces and expanding cultural geographies. This shift redefines community interactions and heritage preservation, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches across anthropology, media studies, cultural aesthetics, and communication. By exploring digital folklore, this issue highlights how technology shapes cultural expressions and transforms traditional performances, offering timely insights into contemporary scholarly discourse.

Key objectives include examining digital platforms as mediums for cultural expression and identity, analyzing digital folklore as evolving material culture, and exploring how oral traditions are reimagined through visual culture. This issue aims to articulate the interplay of folklore, performance, and digitalization by inviting interdisciplinary contributions, fostering a deeper understanding of their confluence in shaping modern cultural landscapes.

This special issue explores the transformation of rituals in digital spaces, bridging folklore, media, and performance studies. It examines vernacular creativity, hybrid environments, and the redefinition of oral traditions in the digital era. Highlighting multicultural expressions and ethical challenges like authenticity and preservation, it offers fresh insights into digital folklore and its impact on modern cultural identities.

We welcome researchers from various disciplines to provide interdisciplinary perspectives on Folklore and Digitalization. Your contributions will play a crucial role in advancing knowledge in this field.