How the Backrooms and Liminal Spaces Shape Internet Mythology

Stacy Stefaniak
4 min readAug 29, 2024
Photo by Leiada Krozjhen on Unsplash

In recent years, a curious phenomenon has emerged within the expanse of online culture: the exploration of “the backrooms” and “liminal spaces.” These concepts have captivated a broad audience, tapping into a deep-seated fascination with the eerie and the surreal. What drives this interest, and how do these ideas manifest in our contemporary digital experience?

The Backrooms: An Internet-Originated Enigma

At its essence, “the backrooms” is a concept born from the digital imagination, depicting an endless, monotonous office environment — a maze of yellow-tinted rooms with no discernible exits. Originating from online forums and image boards, the backrooms are characterized by their disorienting familiarity and unsettling emptiness. They evoke a sense of being trapped in a vast, nondescript space, reflecting a broader commentary on modern life’s repetitiveness and the blurring of reality and imagination.

The backrooms have become a metaphor for existential dread and the monotonous routines of contemporary life. The unsettling nature of these spaces lies in their combination of the mundane and the surreal, creating an environment that feels simultaneously familiar and alien. This imagery resonates strongly with those who find themselves navigating the constraints…

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Stacy Stefaniak

A writer of cultural think pieces that delve into books, film, and life—rooted in a fascination with horror, the macabre, and social justice themes.