116: The Tweets

Aug 19

In 2017, a creepy ghost story took over twitter, line by line, as an artist began to recount his experience with a spirit--a child--named “Dear David.”

Hosted and Written by Laurah Norton

Researched by Laurah Norton and Anna Luria

Engineered by Southern Gothic Media

EPISODE INTEL:

In this investigation, we explore one of the most famous paranormal events in the history of social media: the "Dear David" saga. Beginning in August 2017, author and illustrator Adam Ellis began chronicling a series of escalating disturbances in his New York apartment, leading to a viral thread that enthralled over a million followers in real-time.

Subjects of Investigation:

The Midnight Rules: We examine the specific lore surrounding the entity known as David, including the warning against the "third question" and the origins of the child-ghost narrative.
Multi-Media Evidence: An analysis of the digital artifacts provided during the haunting, including the motion-triggered pet-cam footage, sound recordings of "electronic interference," and the mysterious black Polaroids.
The Physical Anomalies: We look closely at the most debated moments of the thread, specifically the "sliding green glass" and the strange behavior of Adam’s cats, Maxwell and Pepper.
Sleep Paralysis and the Brain: A look at the "sleep demon" phenomenon and how the Sleep Foundation explains the intersection of consciousness and dream states.
The Investigative Skeptics: We review the theories from outlets like The Awl and The Ghost in My Machine regarding narrative pacing, image manipulation, and the "too tidy" nature of digital storytelling.
Archival Reach: A look at how a personal Twitter thread transitioned into a Lionsgate film deal and a permanent fixture in modern internet folklore.

Check out Adam Ellis’ books: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Adam-Ellis/146778774

Sources on our website: https://www.onestrangethingpodcast.com/

Join us on Patreon for early release and ad-free episodes, exclusive stories, and bonus

episodes: https://www.patreon.com/OneStrangeThing

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onestrangethingpod/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/One-Strange-Thing-114307627035607

Subscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@onestrangething

We have partnered with Libsyn to handle our advertising/sponsorship requests. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email ad-sales@libsyn.com or click the link below to get started. https://advertising.libsyn.com/OneStrangeThing

Works Cited

Adam Ellis, Dear David Twitter Ghost Case Collection. Wakelet, 2018.

Adam Ellis, . My Apartment Is Being Haunted By The Ghost Of A Dead Child And I'm Not Sure What To Do. BuzzFeed, 2017.

How Many Users Does X (Twitter) Have? SOAX, 2024.

Is "Dear David" Real? An Examination Of Twitter's New Favorite Haunting. The Ghost In My Machine, 2017.

Kat. The K-Files: The Dear David Twitter Ghost Case 002. Kat the Movies, 2018.

Rick Paulas, . The Bit Too Tidy Ghost Story of "Dear David". The Awl, Oct. 2017.

Lucia Peters, Who Is "Dear David"? This Writer's Apartment Is Haunted By A Ghost Child & Now The Internet Is Invested. Bustle, 2017.

Re: Why Do Drinking Glasses Slide Across the Counter When They're Wet? MadSci Network, 2000.

Sleep Paralysis Demon. Sleep Foundation, 2024.

Staff. Adam Ellis Spots Dear David Japanese Statue. Daily Mail, 2017.

Staff. The 100 Funniest Celebrity Tweets You Should Read Before Twitter Doesn't Exist Anymore. BuzzFeed, 2024