In this article, I’m looking into something that has become a genre in its own on YouTube in recent years and that is ASMR, which is explored in this video from AmazingPhil.
ASMR, or autonomous sensory meridian response, is an experience of a static-like or tingling sensation that flows down the body – starting at the scalp – and is triggered by whispering and soft tones, sounds and visuals given off by people, textures or objects. This video, being Phil Lester’s first since moving from the beloved apartment well known by the internet, sees Phil testing to see if he has ASMR. The clips he tries includes people speaking softly, rubbing of cardboard and tapping a table. One certain clip demonstrates how the exploration of ASMR is aided by use of headphones as the performer speaks and the sound moves from one ear to the other.
One aspect of ASMR is the ‘personal attention’, which includes cutting someone’s hair, massaging their back or painting their nails whilst the service provides speaks softly to them. This can also be affective when role played in videos as the concentration of the viewer on the face of the provider allows for the stimulation to be triggered. In this way, it is can be good for relaxation, stimulation and establishing a personal connection.
Phil later goes on to try performing it himself which is entertaining. This is still a relatively new phenomena having been first described in a post on an online forum in 2007 and research continues into its origins and affects. As of 2015 there is over 1 million videos of ASMR content show much of a movement it has become. It’s an interesting corner of the YouTube space, born out of the benefits that such a visual platform can provide.