The Chonkerton

Inside the Backrooms: The internet’s creepiest place is becoming a tourist attraction

entertainment

The Backrooms began as a single eerie image online, but internet users transformed it into something much larger: a vast collaborative fictional world. ScienceDaily reports that people now treat it as a form of digital tourism, building and exploring this unsettling alternate reality through videos, games, maps, and social media. Researchers say this reflects a new way audiences emotionally engage with imaginary spaces filled with mystery, nostalgia, and unease.

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/07/260726015254.htm

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton