Anny Sam
ENG 2150
Professor Seth Graves
4/17/2019
ASMR & Mukbang: Coping in Newer Times
I remember not being able to sleep growing up; even now it’s still hard to sleep at home. I feel all this pressure and anxiety all the time from school, friends, or family and it just stresses me out. I was wandering on YouTube and I guess I was on it for too long because I hit the weird side of YouTube. I found a video that did scratching and tapping ASMR and I was hooked. It felt like a drug that relaxed me, it helped me cope with a lot of things and provided me an escape or help with sleep when I couldn’t. Personal health is affected by social media. Many social media trends that have began to gain popularity recently, in example, ASMR and mukbang. ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. With ASMR, there are so many different kinds of sounds people like to listen to. Some people like tapping or scratching on different surfaces while others may enjoy whispering and role playing. There is a specific kind of ASMR that is basically “eating ASMR.” People eat specific kinds of food to create unique chewing sounds and that’s something I personally enjoy a lot. With mukbangs, they try to ask questions about the viewer’s day or tell stories about their lives as they eat large amounts of food. People even use mukbangs for help with dieting and eating disorders. Thus, these social trends pair well to society today, it helps people cope with anxiety, stress, depression, dieting, eating disorders and other illnesses.
To start off, ASMR and mukbang are both social trends found on social platforms such as YouTube. These trends wouldn’t be available if the internet didn’t give the viewers access to these videos. There would be no audience for those who created ASMR triggers and mukbangs and no one would even know that such a thing existed. Even the term “ASMR” was created on a social media platform, an ASMR Facebook group, by Jennifer Allen (Gibson). Altogether, the internet gave a platform for viewers to acquire ASMR tingles and mukbang story times.
Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response
To begin with, ASMR is a current trend online through video forms. According to The New York Times, in the article, “Rustle, Tingle, Relax: The Compelling World of A.S.M.R.” Fairyington states, “There were nearly 2.6 million videos depicting a phenomenon called autonomous sensory meridian response, or A.S.M.R., designed to evoke a tingling sensation that travels over the scalp or other parts of the body…” This quote demonstrates how popular ASMR is becoming and how this trend is made to create “tingles” or “sensations.” Now, ASMR is not for everyone or not every person gets tingles from the same ASMR trigger, which is why there are so many kinds of ASMR videos. Some examples of these ASMR triggers could range from tapping and scratching to role-playing and lighting matches. Therefore, for those who do enjoy these videos will all have their own sensations through triggers that may not be the same from other people.
In fact, there are many kinds of ASMR triggers that ASMRtists produce in there videos for content. ASMRtists are those who create videos of ASMR triggers. In a YouTube channel by a very well known ASMRtist, SAS-ASMR, SAS eats a variety of foods such as honeycomb, candied fruits, macaroons, aloe vera, sea grapes, and even raw octopus. She currently has 6.1 million subscribers and gets about a million or millions of views in her videos depending on what kinds of food she eats. She is known to do strictly food ASMR which is a genre in ASMR to hear people chew on different kinds of food. In food ASMR, there are “popular foods” to eat because of the sound it makes when it’s being chewed on trigger many and depending on which ones the viewers generally like has more or less views. For example, popular foods would be mochi, a Japanese dessert, and honey comb. Her videos are generally set up very close up and personal; the camera view is set up to the point where the subscriber can only see her mouth and the platter of food in front of her. She always wears a headset or any kind of audio set so she can also hear the sounds she makes to the microphone. If she eats aloe vera or honey comb the sound is sticky and wet but if she eats sea grapes or chips the sound is crunchy. In brief, there are many kinds of ASMR genres which give a wide variety to each viewer to find which one they prefer.
Since there are millions of videos out there for ASMR, there are millions more watching these kinds of videos. Those with full-time jobs and celebrities even watch ASMR to help with their issues. For example, a very well known artist named Cardi B listens to ASMR everyday to sleep. She mentions this when filming an ASMR interview video with W magazine. During this interview, she produces a very “triggering” ASMR video which creates tingles for many of the viewers. Many comments of the video even mention how they watched the interview video multiple times because Cardi created so many tingles for them and helped them fall asleep. In the video, Cardi B makes use of many objects and whispers to trigger the viewer. She begins the video by whispering into two microphones (one microphone is for the left ear and the other is for the right ear), she whispers “okurr” and rolls the –r sound while alternating to each microphone. She also makes use of hand gestures which are a visual trigger for some people when watching the video. Cardi waves her hand up and down slowly as if she was caressing the viewer’s face to go sleep. She talks about her life and scratches the microphones with her nails to relax the viewer. Even some words trigger ASMR when said and since Cardi is a regular watcher she utilized these words in her ASMR interview, such as, words that begin with “t” or “s” she repeats this multiple times. W Magazine gives her a few things to play with for ASMR and she is first given a rug. Cardi rubs the rug against the microphone and touches the rug in circular motions while whispering into the microphones. Cardi takes the rug and also waves that up and down and gives the viewers an imaginative scenario, also known as role playing, as if they were right there with her to lie against the rug and feel how warm the rug is. Finally, she is given a children’s toy to play with. The toy contains beads and she slides the beads from one side to another to make a “click” sound and then taps on the wood the toy is made with. This shows how there are all kinds of ASMR videos and different kinds of triggers. Many people including celebrities listen to ASMR to help them relax from their own problems. It has become a very popular trend online since a lot of people have their own reasons to stress whether it is deadlines for projects, exams, or personal issues. Therefore, ASMR was made to adapt to millions of peoples’ need to relax and sleep, regardless of who the person is.
Now, many viewers of ASMRtists watch their videos to relax and cope with their issues. In the article, “Rustle, Tingle, Relax: The Compelling World of A.S.M.R.” Fairyington wrote that two very well known ASMRtists said that many of their followers sent them notes of gratitude and thanked them for relieving them of anxiety, insomnia, and melancholy that their videos provided. This shows how viewers do truly feel grateful for these videos because they experience first-hand the reliefs these triggers provide, it’s not all weird.
Today, everyone experiences stress, whether you’re a teenager, an adult, or even a senior citizen, everyone goes through something that causes some kind of anxiety. For example, any kind of deadline, exams, homework or work in general. ASMR videos can help cope with this stress. In the article, “What Exactly Is ASMR?” by Cory Stieg, Dr. Richard says, how feelings of calmness and relaxation release many neurotransmitters such as endorphins, ocytocin, and serotonin and it’s likely that when experiencing ASMR, there is a release of these transmitters in the brain.” This means that when people experience ASMR, they feel calm and relaxed which helps people when they go through periods of stress and anxiety. Also, in the article, “More than a feeling: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by reliable changes in affect and physiology” they state, “After watching a range of ASMR videos, ASMR participants reported more frequent tingling, increased levels of excitement and calmness, and decreased levels of stress and sadness” (Poerio, et al 8). This quote is another example of how experiencing these sensations provide positive feelings towards people, and thus, helps one with feeling stress.
Likewise, when the feeling of ASMR helps those feeling stress can also help those with insomnia. Even if ASMR videos do not give the watcher any “tingles”, according to Shiffer, Mary Ellen Wells, Ph.D., director and assistant professor at Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of North Carolina at Charlotte, says how doing something boring and monotonous can help one sleep if their mind is racing before they go to bed and ASMR videos consists of those qualities. This evidence proves how ASMR videos can help those who suffer from insomnia by incorporating techniques that facilitate sleep. It isn’t just Wells who says how this phenomenon can help with sleep, Gielia Poerio, professor of psychology at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. says how the ASMR response can apply for things like insomnia, anxiety, and other issues and how some people are already using it for those purposes (Dozier). Given these points, this just exemplifies the fact that ASMR tingles can help those with insomnia and much more.
Correspondingly, ASMR media also helps people with depression and chronic illness. In the article, “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): a flow-like mental state” Barratt and Davis writes, “Sixty-nine percent of those who scored moderate to severe on the BDI reported using ASMR to ease their symptoms of depression” (8). This study result demonstrates how ASMR is used to provide some kind of relief to its viewers. In the same article, they state, “Those suffering from symptoms of chronic pain also benefitted from ASMR, seeing a significant reduction in their discomfort for several hours following an ASMR session” (11). This also shows how ASMR can be used in multiple cases to help those who suffer through depression or chronic illness on top of other mental illness. In summary, this media trend provides natural relief without medication to those suffering from various forms of illness.
With the era of social media and excessive advertising, there is so much pressure from people to be “better” or become this “perfect person”. For example, with super models and idols, they create unrealistic beauty expectations for both genders as they mature. In the article, “From social media to the catwalk, is fantasy beauty failing young women?” Professor Nichola Rumsey, co-director of the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England, Bristol explains, “…with the advent of social media, standards of comparison are now much more extreme, and hugely unrealistic” (Kay). This quote reveals how social media platforms make standards of beauty today unfeasible; these models on social media are portrayed as “perfect looking people” and make the consumers insecure in themselves and want to be like them. That is why Photoshop and editing apps exist and editing photos even became a profession, people compare themselves to these models and change themselves to what they want to be but aren’t through applications like Photoshop. We currently live in a time where everyone expects people to be better than what is realistically achievable. These pressures cause stress and anxiety which many people suffer from today and ASMR happened to be a coping method during these times. Like previously mentioned, the term ASMR was created by Jennifer Allen in a Facebook group; this documentation of when ASMR came to be was given to at least try to remedy the stresses the society is in.
Mukbang
Mukbang, Microsoft Word is saying that it’s spelled incorrectly but actually, Mukbang is a Korean word that stands for “eating broadcast” in South Korea. The correct pronunciation for it is “mook-bong”. According to the article, “Inside ‘mukbang’: How some professional binge-eaters earn thousands” by Katie Jackson, Stawski says, “[In Korea] Dining is a social activity, and you don’t sit and eat alone. For those that can’t eat with others, they’ll more than likely stay home to eat alone, but they’ll still have the urge to socialize while eating, which is what I think mukbangers replicate.” This quote illustrates how people don’t want to be alone when they eat and they want to socialize, thus, watching a mukbang video will take care of that. This gives the viewer the replication of eating out with someone. The “mukbang experience” can be quite similar to a form of ASMR called eating ASMR, where a person eats various types of food and feel sensations through chewing sounds. What separates the two is that the eating ASMR typically has little to no talking and focuses on chewing noises while mukbang is like an eating show where stories are told or questions are asked as they eat large quantities of food.
As a matter of fact, there are tons of “Mukbangers”, people who make mukbang videos and/or live stream mukbangs. For example, there is a YouTube channel named hyuneeEats. Hyunee was featured in a Buzzfeed video called “I Did The Spiciest Mukbang Ever” as a member of Buzzfeed was joining Hyunee for a mukbang to learn more about the phenomenon. In the video, Hyunee shows how she sets up for her mukbang videos. The set up style is similar to ASMR videos as they are close up and zoomed in at the main focus of the video, in this case, the food. Hyunee generally ask tells stories about her life in her mukbang videos as she eats. She tries to be interactive with her audience by asking questions to the viewers and telling them to comment their answers. She also gives out positive energies to people by just smiling a lot and showing her happiness on camera. Thus, mukbang videos generally are just the Mukbanger talking about anything they choose while eating tons of food with a goal of the viewer feeling companionship through these videos.
Today, a lot of people feel alone especially when they have to eat alone. Having someone there to talk with and for that person to act kindly towards them, this is one reason mukbangs as to why they exist, socializing at a time of your convenience and providing new relationships with people. Many people watch Mukbangs for that specific reason, to feel less lonely. On social media, there are a lot of “fake” or “two-faced” people, for example “catfishers” and just liars in general. According to the article by the Huffington Post, psychologist Robert Feldman says how sixty percent of people lie during a normal ten minute conversation and when averaged out, two or three lies during those ten minutes occur (Bradberry). This statistic demonstrates how often people today lie to one another and because of this, it is hard to find someone who is truly honest with others and people will feel lonely without genuine connections. The Mukbanger previously mentioned, Hyunee, said in the Buzzfeed video, “Mukbang isn’t all about filming and eating in front of the camera. It’s more about helping others with depression, anxiety, and being their companion.” This establishes the fact that Mukbangers are aware of the problems their audience face and that their job is to ease those feelings. In that fashion, mukbangs help with people feeling alone and they provide authentic connection to their viewers even though it is just through a screen.
In addition, people who watch mukbangs could use these videos to cope with dieting. Many people go to gym and along with working out come dieting. Dieting is a difficult thing to stick by for some people since diets normally cut out most of the unhealthy cravings they have. In the article, “Five weeks of willpower: Most women give up diets after five weeks, two days and 43 minutes” Kirkova writes how one in seven women in Britain stick to their diets for a duration of thirteen weeks and one in four cave in and eat their favorite food cravings. In addition, Kirkova also writes how one in ten women also loses their willpower and strength to follow through their diet after a week and how sixteen percent give up after one night. These statistics depict how difficult it is to diet and to stick to a diet, at least for women. By watching a mukbang, the person dieting can “live vicariously” through the mukbanger as they watch the mukbanger eat their biggest craving and give them the satisfaction of eating it themselves. That way, the person could still be satisfied and stick to their diet at the same time. In another scenario, people could watch mukbangs to stop their cravings. In an article by Spinter News, DeFabio says how in the comments of a video of a mukbanger named Trisha, people comment how it is a completely disgusting thing to watch which helps the viewers avoid the foods Trisha eats. In summary, mukbangs can help the viewers stay on track to their diets by satisfying their craving or eliminating the craving completely depending on what the viewer likes or dislikes the videos of mukbang.
Along with loneliness and dieting, people use mukbangs for coping with eating disorders. An eating disorder people face today is anorexia. This is where people are extremely thin with a desire to be skinny to the point where it’s unhealthy. They lose appetite because they tell themselves that they are “fat” so they stay away from food. Some people could get appetite by watching others eat or crave food and thus, watching Mukbangs are just the thing to help people cope with eating disorders. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, they state, “approximately eight million people in the U.S. have anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and related eating disorders.” This statistic demonstrates how millions of people suffer through eating disorders associated to anorexia. In fact, a large portion of the mukbanger’s viewers suffer from eating disorders like anorexia. According to the news article, “Inside ‘mukbang’: How some professional binge-eaters earn thousands” Erin Palinski-Wade, RD says, “Although some viewers report they watch these videos as a way to satisfy their own food cravings to help them stay on track with their weight loss plans, the nature of mukbang videos can trigger disordered eating patterns in susceptible viewers” (Jackson). This quote shows how while viewers can use mukbangs for dieting plans, mukbangs can also help those with eating disorders. To some people, watching others eat food could be disgusting but to others it could make them gain appetite. Those with anorexia suffer from too much weight loss to an unhealthy point, and therefore, watching mukbangs could help them gain appetite to eat more and get to a healthy weight again.
Social Trends
In conclusion, ASMR and mukbangs are both social phenomenon that have surfaced because the internet was invented. The internet provided an audience all around the world to watch these ASMRists and mukbangers. People watch and listen to ASMR videos because viewers claim that it helps them sleep and relief other mental disorders such as depression. Similarly, people watch mukbang videos to feel companionship that they lack in person and to help with eating disorders along with mental disorders such as anorexia and anxiety. All in all, both phenomenons are used as coping methods for some of the mental and physical problems they face today.
Based on all my research done on social phenomenon like ASMR and mukbang, our group has decided to incorporate it into a film. The film will discuss social media today and we will probably implement ASMR clips and show how it affects people.
Works Cited
ASMR, SAS. YouTube, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp4LfMtDfoa29kTlLnqQ5 Mg. Accessed 15 Apr. 2019.
Barratt, L. Emma and Nick J. Davis. “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): a flow-like mental state.” PeerJ (2015). Web.
Bradberry, Travis. “Sixty Percent of Your Colleagues Are Lying to You.” HuffPost, 14 February 2017.
“Cardi B Explores ASMR | W Magazine.” YouTube, uploaded by W magazine, 22 October 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUMygkRhB88.
DeFabio, R. Cara. “Why millions of people watch videos of strangers eating huge amounts of food.” Splinter, 25 August 2016.
Dozier, Rob. “Can ASMR Be Used to Treat Anxiety of Insomnia?” SLATE, 25 July 2018.
Fairyington, Stephanie. “Rustle, Tingle, Relax: The Compelling World of A.S.M.R.” The New York Times, 28 July 2014.
Gibson, Caitlin. “A whisper, then tingles, then 87 million YouTube views: Meet the star of ASMR.” The Washington Post, 15 December 2014.
Jackson, Katie. “Inside ‘mukbang’: How some professional binge-eaters earn thousands.” TODAY, 23 February 2018.
Kay, Karen. “From social media to the catwalk, is fantasy beauty failing young women?” The Guardian, 5 December 2015.
Kirkova, Deni. “Five weeks of willpower: Most women give up diets after five weeks, two days and 43 minutes.” DailyMail, 11 Feb. 2013.
“I Did The Spiciest Mukbang Ever (ft. hyuneeEats).” YouTube, uploaded by BuzzFeedVideo, 24 Aug. 2018.
Poerio, L. Giulia, et al.”More than a Feeling: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) Is Characterized by Reliable Changes in Affect and Physiology.” PLoS ONE 13.6 (2018): E0196645. Web.
Shiffer, Emily. “What Is ASMR? How YouTube ‘Whisper Videos’ May Be Able to Help Treat Insomnia.” Men’s Health, 27 September 2018.
“Statistics: How many people have eating disorders?” ANRED, https://www.anred.com/stats.htm l. Accessed 3 Apr. 2019.
Stieg, Cory. “What Exactly Is ASMR?” Refinery29, 7 February 2017.