In the shadows of folklore and the scaffolding of language, Matt Talks Media returns for Season 2 with a deep dive into how stories are built, shared, and believed.

Dr. Matt Dorr explores the evolution of urban legends from whispered cautionary tales and campfire lore into a form of niche media shaped by online communities, participatory culture, and digital circulation. What happens when folklore stops being just “told” and starts being produced?

Then, Dr. Nolan Meditz steps into the world of constructed languages, unpacking how creators like Tolkien and the architects of Klingon have engineered entire linguistic systems for media. Along the way, he examines the friction between constructed and natural languages—where authenticity, usability, and cultural meaning collide.

From haunted highways to invented vocabularies, this episode maps the strange terrain where storytelling and structure meet.

Music featured in this episode (support the artists!):

https://mothercain.bandcamp.com/album/unreleased

https://campwinapooka.bandcamp.com/album/capture-the-flag