Covid Origins
Structure
You will notice from the examples provided on the last page, that the stories tend to be short in length and omit certain details about the theory at large (for example who is behind the large telecommunications companies and why would they intentionally use harmful technology). There is an implicit assumption on the part of the storyteller that the audience is already familiar with the broader theory and there is no need for the storyteller to rehash and connect all the dots (Shahsavari, Tangherlini). These small shorter stories that may lack defining details are then able to spread and be used by groups that may subscribe to different overall narratives (Shahsavari, Tangherlini).
In his work, Tangherlini asserts that this widespread sharing of stories and narratives helps to establish underlying narrative frameworks.These frameworks become pliable in the sense that storytellers can easily change specific details within these similar story structures to create stories that better conform to the widely held beliefs of the folk group (Tangherlini). These frameworks help to explain the speed at which these theories develop in response to changing conditions in the world.
Function
In "Living Folklore" the authors suggest that a functionalist interpretation is inherently limited by the narrow scope through which it views the folklore. It doesn't allow for folklore and its function to be dynamic and change with regards to context (Sims). With this in mind I will layout as examples only a couple functions I encountered in my research that seem to remain constant across different contexts.
One function of the Covid origin story is to simplify complex events and situations into easily understandable narratives. The stories seek to make sense of certain senseless events (Bock, Shahsavari). Another function in telling one of these stories is to relay the message within the story and to spread belief in the story. In many folk groups engaged in this type of storytelling, there is a belief that the knowledge contained within these stories is "sacred" in some sense and that people who lack this knowledge are ignorant (Shahsavari)
Consequences
It is easy for most people to see the kinds of stories that are told about Covid's origin and dismiss them as foolish rumors with no bearing on reality, but there are striking similarities to the false stories of people shooting at helicopters that Carl Lindahl describes in his work on Katrina. In his essay Lindahl states "False reports of criminal minorities, spread by outsiders and largely enabled by the media, did indeed create real history". I see similarities to the Covid origin stories in that many of these narratives have very real effects on people's actions. Sometimes the effects are clearly visible in the cases of increased violence against Asian Americans or vandalizing of cellphone towers (Bock, Shahsavari). Other times the effects are more obscure as in the case of people ignoring public health measures often times to their own detriment (Gerts). In any case it can be seen how important folklore and the effects of its spread can be.
Vandalized 5G tower (Photo Credit:https://www.healthline.com/health/is-5g-harmful)