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Building on the work of prominent affect theorists such as Jackie Orr, Elaine Scarry and Teresa Brennan, I illustrate a theory of ‘telaffect’—the transmission of affective signals across real and virtual spaces. The development of this theory of telaffective transmission identifies the complexity and importance of the affective labour that is routinely conducted via virtual channels. Affect theories often implicitly explore connections between affective experiences and technology. Imagining language as a basic technology, Scarry and Brennan focus on language’s ability to structure and express affect; similarly, Orr describes the influence of computational and mathematical models on the development of definitions of ‘normal’ cognitive and affective states. Despite the subtle and compelling arguments made by affect theorists, few have explored the influences that new forms of digital technology and communication have had on the expression and experience of affect. A host of new affective experiences are rapidly developing thanks to internet-based technologies. I draw on a diverse range of technologies to show that telaffective transmission is a crucial component of popular virtual spaces. Platforms such as e-mail, instant messaging, blogs and social-networking sites have created new opportunities for the transmission of affect. More complex virtual spaces, such as Second Life, have similarly effected new forms of affective experience. Most popular-media representations of Second Life implicitly identify the forces of telaffect that are operating within the virtual world: many reports focus on virtual sex and marriage. Other technologies, such as the brainwavedetecting headset produced by NeuroSky and the software VR-WEAR developed to graft users’ facial expressions onto their avatars in real time, further complicate traditional affect theories and call for analyses into the expression and experience of telaffect in virtual spaces.