AUDIOVISUAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF CREEPYPASTA: A COMPARATIVE MEDIA ANALYSIS

Yıl 2026, Cilt: 16 Sayı: 1, 344 - 371, 01.01.2026

Ersin Ertan

https://doi.org/10.7456/tojdac.1797701

Öz

This paper dives into the fascinating journey of creepypasta, a digital-born horror subgenre, as it evolved from simple text-based folklore into immersive audiovisual experiences that blur the lines between fiction and reality. Starting with a quick overview of creepypasta's history, the research then shifts to a side-by-side media analysis of two contrasting creepypasta forms: The Backrooms saga and Username:666. It goes on to explore how each piece uses unique audiovisual techniques and psychological tricks to stir up feelings of fear, discomfort, and the uncanny. By applying Tomkins’ Affect Theory, Freudian dream-work, and Baudrillard’s concept of simulacra, this study reveals how The Backrooms crafts a gamified and hyperreal liminal space, while Username:666 taps into YouTube aesthetics and digital glitches to draw viewers into a world of media-generated horror. Both projects reflect the broader trend of creepypasta as guerrilla media, marked by its participatory, grassroots, and transmedia qualities. Through this perspective, the research looks at how audiovisual design, platform specificity, and psychological impact come together in modern digital horror storytelling. The findings offer insight into how creepypasta functions not only as audiovisual entertainment but also as a cultural response to mediated anxiety, digital immersion, decreasing borders of reality, and mainstream media. Thus, this paper aims to fill a gap in psychologically based audiovisual analysis in creepypasta media.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Creepypasta , Affect Theory , Dream-work , Simulacra , Horror Media.

CREEPYPASTA’NIN GÖRSEL-İŞİTSEL VE PSİKOLOJİK BOYUTLARI: KARŞILAŞTIRMALI BİR MEDYA ANALİZİ

Öz

Bu çalışma, dijital kökenli bir korku alt türü olan creepypasta’nın metinsel folklordan, kurgu ile gerçeklik arasındaki sınırları bulanıklaştıran sürükleyici görsel-işitsel deneyimlere nasıl evrildiğini incelemektedir. Creepypasta tarihine dair kısa bir arka plan sunulduktan sonra, araştırma iki zıt creepypasta biçimi olan The Backrooms serisi ve Username:666 üzerine karşılaştırmalı bir medya analizi yapar ve her iki eserin korku, huzursuzluk ve tekinsizlik duygularını uyandırmak için nasıl farklı görsel-işitsel stratejiler ve psikolojik mekanizmalar kullandığını ele alır. Tomkins’in Duygulanım Teorisi, Freudyen düş teorisi ve Baudrillard’ın simülakr kuramı kullanılarak yapılan bu inceleme, The Backrooms’un nasıl oyunlaştırılmış ve hipergerçek bir liminalite sistemi kurduğunu ve Username:666’nın, YouTube’a özgü estetikleri ve dijital anomalileri nasıl kullanarak medya kaynaklı bir korku deneyimi yarattığını inceler. Bulgular, creepypasta’nın yalnızca görsel-işitsel bir eğlence türü değil; aynı zamanda medyatik kaygıya, dijital sürükleyiciliğe, gerçekliğin erozyonuna ve ana akım medyaya kültürel bir tepki olarak nasıl işlev gördüğüne dair içgörüler sunar. Böylece bu çalışma, creepypasta medyasına yönelik psikolojik temelli görsel-işitsel analiz alanında bir boşluğu doldurmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Creepypasta , Duygulanım Teorisi , Psikanaliz , Simulakrum , Korku Medyası

Kaynakça

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