I suppose it is a counterculture. It is certainly an alternative model that shows people, in a really practical way, that there are other ways of living. People think it's a hippie orgy or a cult. When they get out there, they discover what is of unique value to them. We've come to regard them as a kind of concrete analog of what are called Web sites on the Internet.
People combine their domiciles into interactive art.
All we require is that they do something creative that involves others, entices others, invites them into an environment the theme campers create. Usually they are premised on a fantasy scenario. My personal favorite from years past was called Camp Fink. It was devoted to the great finks of history, such as John Dean and Richard Nixon. Outside was an old portable Underwood with a continuous ream of paper that invited you to rat out your friends.