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Online Tulpa Communities

James_H

And I like to roam the land
Joined
May 18, 2002
Messages
7,626
Has anyone ever come across these? For example, https://www.reddit.com/r/tulpas

It turns out the concept of the tulpa has mutated in this digital age and means something new to a whole generation of (what seem to me to be) inward-looking, fantasy-prone teenagers. Their tulpas often seem highly influenced by anime cartoons (check out the drawing threads). They often talk to each other in character as their tulpas [in square brackets] (or their tulpas really talk to each other, who am I to judge). A lot of them post about having romantic or sexual relationships with their tulpas. There's quite a lot of jargon about 'tulpaforcing' and 'wonderlands'.

I don't believe in the literal reality of these beings, though I imagine that the subjective reality of them to their tulpamancers varies on a case-by-case basis. What I'm interested in is how this quite involved culture has arisen and perpetuated.

Here's an article from Vice: The Internet's Newest Subculture Is All About Creating Imaginary Friends
 
Interesting. So this is the imbuing of projected parallel fantasy versions of themselves with a pseudo-corporeal reality, and then encouraging these inflamed instances to interact (or be described as interacting) within a shared thought-space?

As long as they can continue to interact on the offline physical plane of existence as well as the aspirational / inspirational one, then all will be well.

Because this can all be viewed as being an extended phase of the post-toddler / peri-kindergarten interactive fantasia play-acting stage.

I've been recently told that it's judgemental and patronising to express concerns regarding someone's mental states (eg it is not acceptable to miscall a viewed individual's OCD behaviour *even in the third person* ie outwith their awareness, as it is being patronising and dismissive).

I do see massive potential pitfalls with this metatulpa tribal activity, though. You see, there I go again. Sheer mental-state fascism. Or: maybe I'm right to worry
 
Doesn't this exhibit clear similarities with earlier forms of online virtual communities, but with the visualization and interaction subcontracted out to the users' own heads (imaginations)?
 
Isn't this called "psychosis"?
There's a thin line between extreme fandom and mental illness, for sure.

The intermediate facilitative technologies also act as something of a fig-leaf.

I'm convinced that some real percentage of the people I see in the street (wearing massive headphones) shouting loudly in mid-air, are actually talking to their own diaries (or a photograph of Jeremy Kyle).
 
In my honest opinion, I think most of this is pretending mixed with wishful thinking rather than mental illness. However I'm sure that some in the community are mentally ill.
 
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