Dark tourism, the practice of venturing to places characterised by death, disaster, and destruction, has long captivated those drawn to confronting the shadowed depths of human history. With greater participation on social media platforms, expanded means for novel content creation, and the growth of internet-savvy ‘meme cultures’, new forms of dark tourism that diverge from factually grounded locations requiring travel have emerged. By enabling entry to fabricated and performative spaces that lack tangible connections to real places or history, digital phenomena transform dark curiosity into a realm of simulation and hearsay, misinformation, conspiracy, myth-making, and collective imagination. CREEPY STORIES TO COLLABORATIVE NIGHTMARES Unlike ‘virtual dark tourism’, which uses technology to interact with and learn about real-world locations tied to historical tragedy from afar (for example, Auschwitz-Birkenau’s online virtual reality tour, or the online collection of stories and photographs digitalised from the 9/11 Memorial Museum), the cybercultural variant we are interested in relates to online spaces dedicated to ‘touring’ the unsettling, surreal content of unsubstantiated legends that exist solely in the digital realm. Platforms such as Reddit’s r/nosleep or 4chan’s /x/ (a forum for paranormal discussions) and the growing universe of creepypasta (creepy stories copied and pasted from around the internet) curate spaces for cyber dark tourists to consume, speculate upon, and perpetuate unsettling narratives devoid of historical or factual grounding. Through discussion board posts, memes, vlogs, fan art, reader responses and other user-generated content, participants share personal accounts, supposed witness statements, and cryptic tales that foster a sense of discovery and wonder, where each interaction deepens the mystery. Members thrive on collaboration and creativity, inviting participants to contribute their own twisted narratives or decode hidden clues. In doing so, they curate an immersive participatory experience that feels both personal and collective, as they navigate an ever-evolving, dreamlike labyrinth of the unknown. THE BACKROOMS The Backrooms is a cursed location that originated in 2019 on 4chan’s /x/ board and has evolved into a vibrant community on Reddit’s r/backrooms. Described as an infinite, eerie maze of yellow rooms with flickering fluorescent lights and aging carpets, The Backrooms tap into existential dread and isolation; their mysterious spatiality – having no basis in real history or geography – is both unsettlingly familiar and eerily alien, creating a sense of uncanny dissonance. Digital environments dedicated to the legend of these purgatory-like spaces encourage members to not only consume but also contribute to the myth by sharing their own stories and theories about the meaning, location, and function of the fluorescent-lit maze. The participatory nature of The Backrooms mirrors the concept of ‘hyperdiegesis’ as described by the media scholar Matt Hills. For Hills, the reason for the popularity of certain fictionalised or unreal events is that they allow fans to imagine a vast and detailed world that extends beyond whatever immediate narrative (or diegesis) they are first presented with. Cyber dark tourists grow and evolve The Backrooms as they explore them, making their mythos more cohesive and compelling through collaborative worldbuilding. The longer they remain within this virtual labyrinth, the more invested and convinced they become of the sensationalised content – regardless of its truth value. MAINSTREAM APPEAL The Backrooms, once consigned to the localised myths of web forums, has rapidly become a cultural touchstone finding its way into mainstream media. Its chilling portrayal of isolation was featured in the 2024 season of American Horror Story, in an episode titled Backrooms, where it served as a metaphor for the terror of being trapped in endless, empty spaces. More recently, Netflix released a haunting teaser titled The Backrooms (Found Footage) to promote the second season of Squid Game. This shift from obscure online folklore to mainstream horror reflects the growing influence of cyber-driven content on modern storytelling. The Backrooms is now firmly integrated into the fabric of contemporary horror. REALITY OR ILLUSION? In a world where physical tourism locations are increasingly mapped, photographed, rationalised, and commercialised, the internet offers a digital abyss for sensation-seekers to immerse themselves, explore with abandonment, and navigate the boundaries between belief and scepticism. Unreal and fictive spaces like The Backrooms represent a cyber-mediated destination for the dark tourist jaded by the commodification of offline venues. This is somewhere untethered to history or reality, where the uncanny still thrives and existential anxieties can be explored earnestly. These spaces are not just for passive consumption; they are environments that invite participation and introspection. Ultimately, the rise of dark cybermediated tourism represents a significant shift in how we experience dark spaces and their relationships with human stories. As internet platforms provide a space for collaborative mythmaking and world-building, they encourage detachment and selfexploration, providing an escape from the pressures of everyday life while engaging with the ‘unknown’. Nevertheless, while they allow tourists to explore aspects of fear and anxiety, they also raise questions about the ethics of curating these feelings for entertainment. While traditional dark tourism challenges us to contextualise, ethically make sense of, and ultimately sympathise with historic sites of real suffering, cyber dark tourism risks joining the long list of activities which trivialise human fear. 20 |
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTI5NzM=