ASMR is getting loud: A short history and concern for the future
Written by Erin Norton
I grew up addicted to YouTube. My eyes would devour anything put in front of me, including grav3yardgirl, Stampylongnose, Casey Neistat, Shane Dawson (unfortunately), and many more eclectic picks. Upon my discovery of ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response), I became hooked on videos that used auditory and visual stimuli to enchant (and sometimes perplex) audiences.. Many found ASMR content to be perverse, because of the actions conducted within them. Creators whispered, tapped, typed, and mouthed, all in a close-quartered fashion. They leaned in close to the camera to perform these seemingly mundane tasks, and the intimacy of it is what made the phenomenon so seemingly bizarre, initially t putting off viewers. How did we get from such polarizing opinions on ASMR, to it being practiced by thousands of people and consumed by millions more?
Like I said, I loved consuming content as a child. Heather Feather was the first ASMR creator to grace my feed. She was a very kind looking individual with soft eyes and ever so slightly high pitched, yet calming voice. I remember her for her iconic purple beanie that she wore in many videos, but also for her techniques and video styles, which included scalp massages, ear cleanings, makeovers, and also arts and crafts that were related to her interests. She uploaded her first video in 2012, which was a makeup roleplay video. For eight more years, she uploaded a plethora of videos of all kinds, which allowed her to appeal to a wide audience. However, about five years ago she suddenly disappeared from her social media platforms. Due to the content she was creating and the virtue of being a woman on the internet, she garnered at least one stalker (a disappointingly normal occurrence for early ASMR creators). The newness of ASMR caused many people outside of the community to ascribe a sexual label to the content. Why else would these gorgeous people, who at the time were mainly women, speak so closely into a person’s ear, whispering reassurances and mantras? Why all of the personal attention and eye contact? It must be a complimentary service for men! This ideology couldn’t be further from the truth.
Before much terminology was ascribed to the wonder known as ASMR, the tingling sensation viewers experienced was understood as a“ brain orgasm.” Of course, the name didn’t aid the parallels being drawn between porn and ASMR. At my young age, I even felt a smidge off-put by how close these creators got to the camera. Even without the concept of porn in my middle school brain, I still somehow worried I was watching something“ naughty.” I truly believe that this is because of the ever present, conscious or subconscious, associations with women and on-camera closeness and intimacy. Nothing about ASMR, unless it is strictly intentional, is sexual. It was only shocking in the early 2000s because of its vulnerability, which is also why it is beloved and a comfort to many.
“Nothing about ASMR, unless it is strictly intentional, is sexual. It was only shocking in the early 2000s because of its vulnerability, which is also why it is beloved and a comfort to many.”
Despite the strangeness and the incorrect associations, ASMR creators kept posting and they maintained an audience. My all time favorite, never gatekept, holy grail creator is Chynaunique ASMR. To this day, I still listen to her videos to sleep or to relax. She is well known not only for being drop dead gorgeous, but also for her good-natured demeanor and her mouth sounds.
Pause.
I know to the uninitiated, the idea of listening to mouth sounds is torturous, but Chynaunique is a pioneer. She absolutely spearheaded the kind of mouth sounds we know from shorter form ASMR creators of today. She also totally altered my perspective on ASMR. The majority of Chyna’s videos begin in a similar way: she unscrews the lid on her lip gloss and swirls the swap around in the tube, creating a sticky sound reminiscent of keyboard clicking. Then she applies a generous amount to her lips, so that when she begins to welcome the viewers to another one of her videos, the gloss sticks and unsticks, crackling with every word. It’s absolutely perfect. In each video, she takes care to speak to the viewer as if they are her best friend. Her content ranges in topic. In some she traces the camera lens with a fluffy brush. While in others, she plays with her sister’s braids.Chynaunique’s posts are a stellar example of the therapeutic and nurturing side of ASMR.
In an increasingly digital world, people are touch starved and hungry for attention. This may sound harsh, but company is a requirement for humans. ASMR is not only just a sensation akin to pins and needles on the head and neck, but it simulates community. Without the physical presence of another human, ASMR can mimic a massage, a head rub, a therapy session, a whimsical conversation, and so much more. In the comments of the majority of ASMR videos are messages encouraging others, strangers, to take care of themselves. Some commenters even express their hardships and how ASMR has helped them find some kind of peace. Not a single comment goes unreplied. Empathy is one of the reasons why we enjoy ASMR.
Another favorite creator of mine is itsblitzzz. Julia, her real name, rarely posts ASMR content these days, but I still rewatch old favorites of mine. She became really famous for the massages she would administer to her friends; a few happened to be (at the time) up and coming celebrities such as Phoebe Bridgers, Melanie Martinez, and even Gabriette. Even without fully knowing the recipients, I still watched, imagining that I was the one receiving the massage, and when the video was finished I’d shut my laptop, feeling refreshed.
As of a few years ago, ASMR spas began popping up nationwide. I remember being in high school when the first one opened. I wanted to go with every bone in my body, but being a teenager in rural Vermont doesn’t allow for that kind of splurge. Instead, I’ve made lovers play with my hair and literally brush my face with a powder brush to simulate the feeling. I sat down in front of my mom in the living room and asked her to scratch my back lightly with the tips of her nails, while my father scoffed from the other side of the room. Reiki, a Japanese healing technique, is now included in the ASMR zeitgeist as well. It asserts that one does not need to be touched in any way to experience the distinct tingling or calming sensation, validating ASMR in its original digital realm, and further pushes the ideology of ASMR towards the wellness world.
I’ve started to notice more and more ASMR creators recently. It’s not that there weren’t already a lot to begin with but these days, there are countless“ This is my first time doing ASMR” videos on YouTube, not to mention the shorter form content creators on TikTok making ten second ASMR videos. The majority of these creators market their work as“ lofi.” What came before is an interesting juxtaposition to the now very polished ASMR content being produced. Many of the pioneering creators such as Gibi ASMR have their own studios and equipment dedicated to making the tingliest, most quality video. Because of their legacy, many creators, such as Gibi, make a living from their content. Therefore, it only makes sense that she has to evolve to appeal to others, or at least maintain her audience. Interestingly, many viewers have been yearning for the lower quality ASMR videos from the early 2000s: background noise, actually touching the screen, lack of props, and all. This is where many of the recent and rapidly shifting trends were born as well. Just to name a few: coconut crack, following light-up items across the screen, putting sticky items on the mic. These trends are usually executed in shorter form content on TikTok, Shorts, or Reels. Sometimes they are even requested by audience members to be performed during livestreams. While the rise in ASMR creation could be correlated to more genre exposure, I worry that it is also because of its lucrative potential. As hustle culture is an ever present terror in our lives, ASMR is at risk of becoming a side hustle.
If we believe ASMR to be related to wellness, particularly in regards to mental health, the capitalization of this level of care is a major threat to its effectiveness. The global wellness industry is exponentially growing as the state of the world, in every regard, declines. In the United States, the wellness economy is now valued at $1.8 trillion, an absolute slap in the face to the demographics suffering nationally, and world wide. The average human cannot afford the kind of care that can erase anguish. The rich are able to massage away the exploitative harm they caused, but there is no nurturing of those who labor. Many are lucky to have families that can administer, at the very least, a scalp rub or back scratch, but the majority are not afforded luxury. Then there’s ASMR. These free videos are remedial and claim to alleviate people of OCD symptoms, migraines, anxiety, etc., ASMR is a carrier of hope. With many ASMRists putting their videos behind paywalls (don’t get me wrong, I understand that we all have to pay our bills somehow), I can’t help but wonder what the future of the wellness industry has planned for ASMR, a now respected avenue of care.
