ASMR, Is that a thing?
"Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is an experience characterized by a static-like or tingling sensation on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. It has been compared with auditory-tactile synesthesia."
So, its 'Head tingles' or 'Back/Neck Tingles' Ok, I guess its a real thing.
"yes it is real – probably. Whilst there has been little scientific research conducted on the topic, the vast amount of anecdotal evidence is convincing that there is a common underlying condition."
Ok, well maybe, or not, whatever, but if you type 'ASMR' in to the search bar on YouTube it's absolutely, definitely without any doubt, a thing there, & its quite a big thing.
My first experience and discovery of the phenomenon of ASMR was a YouTube search for something like 'Voice Overs' or 'Narration' for a media project. I landed on a teenage girl doing some type of 'Role Play' of a doctors visit. She's all dolled up in makeup sitting in her room, whispering sort of seductively into her cam about how 'I' am on my way into the doctors office & shes going to take my blood pressure or something.
It caught me a little off guard & I didn't quite get it. Just as I'm starting to wonder WTF? I look down at the view count. This girls got about 100k views on a video thats a few months old. I take a look at the related videos on the scroll bar, and its full of a bunch of young looking girls with 50k - 1million + views all titled 'ASMR'. I start clicking on a few of them & they all have huge subscriber & view counts. Anywhere from 10's of thousands to millions.
Basically, Its like a G rated, or PG rated, cam girl situation. A good percentage of these young girls are wearing a low cut top with some fairly prominent cleavage displayed. To be fair, thats not all of them & its not 100% the whole thing. In fact many don't play the cleavage card at all. Anyways, all of them are whispering to the viewer about a variety of 'Role play' situations like a haircut or eye exam or a date night.
So I spend the next hour & 1/2 clicking on ASMR videos, contemplating the nature of reality & why the world works the way it does. I should have just stopped immediately because I was more confused & bewildered by the end.
Now. The purpose of this article isn't to diss on the ASMR community, performers or audience that enjoys it. Personally, I don't experience the relaxing phenomenon of ASMR & if anything, for me, listing to these whispers results in a slight stressful tension in my scalp & upper neck. I am however, not trying to be overly dismissive or disrespectful these content creators at all.
A lot of these videos actually have quite a lot of preparation and production value. The talent is usually made up with full make up, sometimes in costume, often lighting & audio recording is done very well, & theres even the use of sets. Actual locations or green screen locations.
That being said, I also realize its some of the easiest & cheapest content produced on YouTube. They are comparable to Makeup tutorials, Unboxing or Gear reviews, minus the expense of Gear, or actual application of Makeup.
Talent looks straight into camera & chats. Thats the whole thing. ASMR videos are super easy to produce & they get a bazillion views, fast. No joke, a girl could spend about 3 days making 60, 15 minute videos, whispering absolute nonsense into a web cam & within a year, she'd have 10's of thousands of dollars, maybe more.
The genra is that popular, & it only seems to be growing. I went back recently to check on it again, & its only gotten bigger & quicker. Theres even older ladies & older guys doing it now, & they are getting huge views & subscriptions too. They are racking up big counts in as little as 3 months with no indication of slowing.
Some of these girls have dedicated Patreon followers & hundreds of videos with millions of views each. Aside from YouTube earnings, they are getting sponsorships & selling other merchandise on the side.
Amazingly, none of it is porn, or even heavy erotica. Although I'll admit theres a degree of mild flirtation or a seductive tone involved, this stuff is not 'Phone Sex'. They aren't 'Talking Dirty' or even discussing sexual situations. The vast majority of it is 'Make Believe / Role Play' involving ridiculous situations such as getting a shave from a female barber, or shopping for pet supplies.
Its pretty bizarre, but thats not my main point. I'm not young or pretty enough to take advantage of this trend, but recently I've seriously considered hiring a few girls that are, & shooting a series of videos for a week or two.
I won't get into my budgeting predictions or estimated ROI, but if you hop over to YouTube & check into it, you'll see what I'm talking about pretty quick. A new channel with 30 of these videos is pretty sure to turn a profit within the year.
Will this trend last? Who knows, but I've seen it do nothing but grow for the past 2 years & even 'IF' its on the downside now, it looks like it will be a gradual & steady downside, fading away slowly.
Apparently, theres that much interest in this type of thing.
