“New Slender Man”: Momo is back - now it's urban legend

You may have heard of Momo out there. It began as a viral challenge, which provided for a number of tasks that could be bad for your health, such as cutting yourself, for example. What caught the most attention is the image associated with the monster: strange wide eyes with an equally terrifying smile.

Well, it was not long before malicious people began to use this figure as an “entity” that orders young people to do some things, otherwise they might reveal secrets or harm family members. Victims receive calls from an unknown number, and criminals, with data easily found on social networks, then manipulate who is on the other end of the line.

The case is serious and is already associated with a series of fatalities in the United States, Brazil, Argentina and France and seemed to be “fading from the map” - just as several other “viral challenges” appear and disappear at the same speed. Momo has returned and is now becoming an urban legend.

Momo reemerges with concern about children's videos on YouTube

The attacks on Momo have been dormant since late last year, but coincidentally, a video posted in July last year by youtuber AL3XEITOR has re-aired, increasing the aura of mystery about this web character. The boy has over 1 million followers and this content has been viewed over 5.6 million times.

YouTube has recently been accused of not effectively preventing pedophiles from using recommendations, channels and comments to communicate and encourage child harassment and to air content that encourages child suicide. That would have helped bring Momo back to the news and the thousands of shares that add a hint of fantasy to the bird woman.

It is worth mentioning that the platform itself has already spoken out against any dissemination of the “Momo Challenge”:

We want to clear something up regarding the Momo Challenge: We have recently seen the recent evidence of videos promoting the Momo Challenge on YouTube. Videos encouraging harmful and dangerous challenges are against our policies.

- YouTube (@YouTube) February 27, 2019

Momo is actually a sculpture created by Japanese artist Keisuke Aisawa, who works for special effects company Link Factory. His photo was originally posted on Instagram in 2016, and last year began to be used as a "monster that attacks unwary netizens".

Remember the Slender Man?

"The Internet allows urban legends to spread instantly, " says Trevor Blank, assistant professor at New York State University in Potsdam and author of "Slender Man Is Coming: Creepypasta and Contemporary Legends on the Internet, " a book about another popular figure. from the web. "In the past, it would take many years for an urban legend to reach levels of notoriety."

What gives it power are credibly told stories, but they never happened to anyone very close - it's always a "friend of a friend." In this case, Momo gains strength from the actual police cases involving this figure - something that also happened to Slender Man, who transcended the urban legend to become homicide.

Everyone likes mystery stories and a lot of people like horror tales. But with Momo, it's always good to make it clear - especially to the younger and more susceptible - that it's just a scary figure used by malicious people. And they must continue to act if we do not warn of the dangers these challenges can pose.

“New Slender Man”: Momo is back - and now it's urban legend via TecMundo