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What is it?
ASMR is an acronym for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.
Still with me? I’ll explain…
Basically, from my own understanding and experience, it’s the response to particular sounds and the YouTube and Instagram community is rife with videos of people maximising on these sounds.
One form of ASMR is eating sounds. Sounds gross, right? Well, I remember years ago, a friend told me how they hate the sound of someone eating and I responded with ‘It’s never really bothered me… unless you’re talking about somebody slapping their lips when they eat or chewing with their mouth open’, and that was that. The convo was over. Little did I know that five years later, I’d be watching videos in the dead of the night of someone doing exactly that. I’m becoming a little bit obsessed.
People are gaining millions of followers (and most probably, money) on Social Media from recording themselves eating McDonald’s, KFC, noodles etc. I’m absolutely mesmerised by the slurping and the crunching whilst thinking ‘Damn!! Why didn’t I think of doing this?’
Truth be told… I did! Not the eating… although, to be honest, I would quite happily munch down a takeaway and film me doing it! No, as I delved into the depths of the ASMR community, I found that it’s not just eating that forms a ‘trigger’ (buzz word for the ASMR community, guys!) but there are loads of different triggers. I’ve watched videos of people tapping objects with their nails, scratching hairbrushes, making clicking sounds with their mouths, applying lipgloss, whispering a load of nonsense into the microphone (it’s called ‘inaudible whispering’) and even brushing their hair.
Like I said, I’ve become a little obsessed with these sounds… and I did try starting my own ASMR Instagram (just after Christmas) which had me tapping objects. I gave up after a while as I felt a little bit silly and I was running out of things to tap. A couple of my posts garnered over a thousand views. I was blown away by that, really, because it proved how popular ASMR is now.
If you fancy giving it a whirl and seeing what it is I’m banging on about, some of my favourites to follow on Instagram or YouTube are:
- @chynaunique
- @gibiofficial
- @ASMRcharr
- @TenaASMR
When you first view their vids, you’ll most likely feel a bit weird about listening to the sounds. But trust me… once you’re in, you’re in! You will be hooked by the variations of triggers and you’ll never look back.
And if you start your own ASMR channel, please let me know and I will follow you!
Happy listening.
Loulabelle xoxo