In today’s context, many of us are watching videos and content on the social media that triggers a certain sense of satisfaction in us, without us knowing the reason why. A coined term known as ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) signifies an euphoric experience characterized by a tingly sensation, precipating relaxation. It gives a sensation that is stimulated when triggered by a specific acoustic or visual stimuli. ASMR has emerged online in the recent years and people have developed oddly compelling video contents tantalizing the internet. The ASMR communities has also been steadily growing in the last few years proving that this phenomenon is very real. Videos clocking up clicks on the media such as such as whispering triggers, acoustic triggers, personal attention role play triggers, and etc.
Content creators have continued to develop it further by creating videos with a mix of compulsion and straight-up weirdness using ASMR as a technique to intrigue the audience. This emerging design direction melds together attraction and disgust to achieve a discordant and jarring visual quality. Falling somewhere between the voyeurism of Korean mukbang videos – in which people record themselves cooking and eating massive amounts of food, breadface smashing, slime poking, paint mixing, fruit-fingering, and etc. Some contents include sensory assaults, honing in strange, colored liquids to inject imagery of a sensory appeal which is used as a tactile stimulation to intrigue the viewers.
The Oddly Satisfactory is a self-initiated project that started off studying and exploring the development of ASMR trends over the past few years. It investigates the genres and techniques of how ASMR targets the reaction of various individuals, and whether or not is there an explanation to this satisfaction. There is often a debate that the sense of satisfaction is only evoked when watching it on the screen compared to when one is doing the action on his or her own, others beg to differ. Several experiments of different ASMR scenarios were conducted with different individuals, those that are aware of the term ASMR, but have never experienced it before. And those who are unaware of it.
In the process of finding out the answer, through curiosity, this project unknowingly brought about a new discovery: ‘Wastage for Entertainment’. Eventually employing the new acquired knowledge into the project by adding another perspective to the original intent. The project now portrays a two-point perspective. This project consist of three executions:
Enlarge to full screen and use headphones for the best experience.
1. A video that tells a story about a content creator going on an exciting journey of content creation through various ASMR scenarios. The video uses ASMR technique through visual and audio stimuli to showcase the different scenes of content creation. Eventually delving deeper into the topic of, Wastage for Entertainment, to carry out the message of the true cost of content creation. It aims to spark the train of thought about the wastage that goes into content creation in both the audience and the content creators themselves. But at the end of the day, this is just the odd way of indulging satisfaction because nobody really cares about it because people are turning a blind eye to wastage. The use of headphones provides an intensified experience for the audience.
2. A publication reveals the different experiments that was carried out with different people. Ranging for those who have never tried it before to those who have completely no idea what it is all about. It records down different thoughts and opinions while every individual is doing each ‘ritual’ that can contribute as an informative role towards those who have never experience it before. It also shows an insight of the amount of wastage that has gone into content creation. It also plays an informative role towards those who do not know about ASMR.
3. A display of five different samples that is being used for ASMR content creation in the media. This allows the audience to interact with the samples. It gives them an opportunity to record the video and to experience what ASMR feel like.
Coming from an illustration and animation diploma major, this project has allowed me to try out something new. Ironically, expressing the other side of content creation as a content creator where wastage comes into place. It has also challenged me to come up with different executions to allow the audience to be informed and to experience this project through sight, hearing and touch.
