Distortion

Distortion mainly occurs when the audio and/or video suddenly loses clarity and may become almost impossible to hear or see, but other kinds of electrical devices can be affected by it. One of the earliest examples of this phenomenon is in the Marble Hornets footage.

Usually, distortion will occur when the Slender Man is nearby or approaching, but other characters who are either linked or have been corrupted in some way by the Slender Man may exert this capability. The Masked Figure seen in Marble Hornets, for example, appears to be capable of causing shorts in both audio and video.

As the mythos has evolved, this has become a trope in and of itself for nearly every ARG and game that has come out after the release of MarbleHornets, and the effects of the distortion are clearly linked to the Slender Man himself.

Types of Distortion[]

Video[]

Cameras have been known to spontaneously start and stop.
White noise interference may suddenly fill the frame and block out the image.
The video may seem to "rip", "skip" or "tear".
Color tone, brightness and contrast may change dramatically.
Color depth may be reduced, and severe pixelation may also occur.
Images may become imprinted on both analogue and digital media that were not knowingly filmed.
Static may appear on camera

Audio[]

White noise interference may also overwhelm the audio track.
Large portions of audio may become missing, garbled, reversed or replaced.
Voices may become excessively resonant and impossible to discern.
Audio may be sped up or slowed down dramatically.
Pictures can be made from the jumbled noise.

Other[]

Lights may flicker.
Phone calls and phone signal in general may be disrupted.

Causes of Distortion[]

It has been discovered that distortion occurs primarily in the presence of the Slender Man. Because of this, the presence of distortion is often viewed as circumstantial evidence for the Slender Man's involvement in a situation. In some situations, distortion can potentially be traced to other sources, such as Proxies. In these cases, it is difficult if not impossible to prove that the Slender Man is not nearby.

Some theories have developed to explain why the Slender Man causes distortion include:

The Slender Man may produce a strong magnetic field.
The Slender Man may be extra-dimensional in nature.
The Slender Man may be a product of the human mind, and the distortion as well.
The Slender Man may be a digital entity who uses distortion to interact with the physical world.
The Slender Man may be producing Sigma Radiation that causes the distortion

None of these theories can be firmly proven or disproved at this time. Most mediums (especially the games) do not delve into the reasons behind this effect, but it is important to know proxies do not seem to have this effect extend, and there is no specific ascertation of why it happens although plenty of speculation exists.

Some people also link these distortions with the Slender Sickness, as if the same causes trigger an adversary reaction both from electrical devices and from living organisms.

Trivia[]

While the distortion is seen as a specific characteristic of the Slender Man, some mythoses have introduced other sources from different kinds of creatures or conditions, like in Clear Lakes 44 with Walker or in ECKVA with S. Hawkins.