Folklore as Collective Moral Memory: Reactualizing Ethical and Moral Values in the Digital Era

Abstract

This study examines folklore as collective moral memory and explores the reactualization of ethical and moral values in the digital era. Although folklore, collective memory, and digital culture have been widely studied, their interrelationships in sustaining moral values require further conceptual integration. This study employs a qualitative-descriptive method using folkloristic, interpretive, collective memory, and digital culture approaches. Data are collected through observation, in-depth interviews, documentation, and literature review, and analyzed through data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion verification. The study conceptualizes folklore as a cultural medium that preserves collective experiences, transmits ethical values across generations, and enables their reinterpretation within contemporary contexts. Digital platforms expand access to folklore but may also simplify narratives, detach stories from their cultural contexts, and alter their moral meanings. Reactualization is therefore essential to connect traditional values, including honesty, responsibility, solidarity, respect for others, and environmental awareness, with contemporary social challenges. This study contributes a conceptual framework for understanding folklore as living moral memory and supporting culturally sensitive, ethically relevant cultural transmission.