The Escalation of ASMR in Media

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response: The Escalation of it in Media and How the

Community Has Changed

Mariah M. Hickman

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The Escalation of ASMR in Media 1

Table of Contents

Abstract/Introduction 2

Literature Review 3
Community 3
Asmrtists 4
Marketing and Advertisements 5
Asmr Fidget Toys 6
Mental Health 7

Methods 8
Method 1: Survey 8
First pre-pilot survey results 9
Method 2: Content Analysis 12
Method 3: Qualitative 13

Chapter Outlines 14

Timeline 15

Bibliography 16
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 2

Abstract/Introduction

Criss, cross. Apple sauce.

Spiders climbing up your back.
Spiders here, Spiders there.
Spiders even in your hair.
Cool breeze,
Tight squeeze,
And now you have the shivers.

Have you ever sung this rhyme in school? Did you get shivers from the actions that the

person did on your back? What about the goose bumps you feel when you hear a good song?

Those things invoke a feeling of pleasure, relaxation, and euphoria. These things are considered

ASMR. ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response and it has gained

popularity within the media throughout the last decade. The name ASMR was coined by

Jennifer Allen in 2010 and before that in 2008 it was called Attention Induced Head Orgasm by

Tingler (Anonymous, 2015). Throughout the 2010’s the community just slowly kept growing.

With new YouTube channels popping up everyday, the small niche community created a safe

place for relaxation, sleep, and comfort. Lately, the community has gained a newfound

popularity across all media platforms and now more and more people are learning about what

ASMR is. There are many different opinions on the uses of ASMR and if it is sexualulized. A

professor at Shenandoah University in Virginia has expressed that “A.S.M.R. is not a sexual

response” but that does not mean it cannot be sexualized (Mervosh, 2019). The majority of

ASMRists seem to be female with men coming in second and Within this study I plan to

research two ASMRtists who both create content within the subcategory of Anime Roleplay

ASMR, how and if the communities differ between them, what the ASMR community is like as
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 3

a whole, and if ASMR’s rise in media has altered the communities in any way. I will be looking

at one creator with a large following of over 2 million subscribers and one creator with a little

over 50 thousand subscribers. I am using a qualitative and contextual approach for this thesis

research.

Literature Review

Community

When I was looking toward my future research in this topic, I want to properly define the

community and its role. Community as I define it for my research is a unified body of individuals

who all have common interests in specific areas, groups of people with common characteristics,

people with a common background history, and society as a whole. I am going to be comparing

the community in society to the digital community, specifically on YouTube which is a

community-driven media. When understanding Youtube, as described by Burgess and Green, it

is helpful to look at YouTube as an evolving institutional function that operates on a mechanism

between the individual and collective creativity as well as a mediator between multiple industries

that are competition against one another, audience interests, and community (Keryova, 2020).

Over time, Youtube has cultivated new media genres like ASMR, and other professional

identities. In my research I am planning to conduct interviews with both content creators and

audience members of ASMR to grasp the full understanding of what the community is like. I

have immersed myself into the community to become an audience member but it would be

interesting to speak with the content creators as well. I hypothesize that the ASMRtists and the

viewers will have different opinions on how the community has changed as it has grown through

media and new representations.

The Escalation of ASMR in Media 4

Researchers Del Campo and Kehle explained that, “the response is associated with

several facets of happiness including positive emotions, relaxation, serenity and attenuation of

symptoms of anxiety, stress, chronic pain and depression- in brief, an increase in happiness”

which is what seems to be the building blocks for the community (Del Campo, 2019, p. 100).

When people are more relaxed and filled with positive emotions, they are more likely to engage

in positivity with other people, hence creating a safe and enjoyable environment.

Another aspect of my future research that I will be following more closely into is if the

community is without controversy. This is because the ASMR community has seen many

different controversies in the last couple of years. These controversies deal with: the

oversexualization of ASMR, politics and societal opinions or no opinions, stealing ideas for

content, and big market companies taking advantage of ASMR creators and the community by

selling fidget toys.

Asmrtists

The role of Asmrtists as defined by researchers Julie Young and Ilse Blansert, is to “help

individuals achieve the ASMR sensation” and they do this by creating “the perfect blend of

sound, image, and suggestion” that causes their viewers to become relaxed and feel a euphoric

like sensation (Young & Blansert, 2015). These Asmrtists have a range of videos from just sound

videos to role-plays. Even though there are a wide variety of different videos “created by a

diverse group of men and women from all over the world” the videos will fall into one of these

six categories (Young & Blansert, 2015). These categories are: vocal, art and music, nonvocal

sound, visual, personal attention, or tactile.

The Escalation of ASMR in Media 5

The ASMR community also considered Bob Ross one of the most influential Asmrtists

and researchers have shown that “Ross had the ability to be intimate without being intrusive”

which is what most Asmrtists strive to do and why those who experience ASMR enjoy it so

much (Young & Blansert, 2015). Ross, even though his intentions were not to become an ASMR

icon, did just that and it is because of his “artistic appeal and personality… that kept his viewers

coming back for more” (Young & Blansert, 2015).

Thumbnails

Thumbnails are known to play an enormous role in videos online, such as on YouTube.

They are “the most representative snapshot” and “they capture the essence of a video” by giving

the audience a first impression based upon aesthetics (Song et al., 2016). If a thumbnail is not

done properly, it can look unattractive, leading to a downfall of click and watch rates. Several

studies have shown that viewers look at them in great detail while shifting through YouTube

videos. This extensive browsing is often a “crucial decision factor in determining whether to

watch a video or skip to another” (Song et al., 2016, 1). Thumbnails are mainly chosen based on

two different factors: attractiveness and relevance.

A study done by several researchers indicated that “ good thumbnails generally do not

show a dominant color” but instead they tend to have many different hues being presented. This

study also proved that “dark frames are unlikely to be chosen as video thumbnails'' which is

surprising due to the fact that many of the higher viewed ASMR video thumbnails tend to be in

that range of color (Song et al., 2016, 8). The difference between the studied thumbnails and

ASMR video thumbnails is that one is for excitement and entertainment while the other is meant

for relaxation. ASMR videos aim for sleep, and the body naturally wants to gravity toward dark
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 6

and calming environments when tired. Asmrtists strive to provide an overview of their brand

through their thumbnails.

Marketing and Advertisements

Throughout the last couple of years, marketing advertisements have used ASMR to their

advantage. Companies like Ikea, Michelob Ultra, Zippo, and even KFC have seen the rise in

popularity and went with it.

Researcher Selina Bachem (2020) focused her thesis on Autonomous Sensory Meridian

Response (ASMR) and how fast food advertisements have begun to use this to gain more

attention for their products through visuals, sounds, and voices. Bachem’s study discovered

through experimental design methods that customers preferred the advertisements with ASMR

aspects over those with regular advertisements (Bachem, 2020) .

The study that was conducted “applied a 2 (Type of advertisement: ASMR versus

Regular) x 2 (Voice: Yes versus No) independent measures experimental design and as

instrument an online questionnaire” and along with those the researchers also used both vegan

and non vegan participants who do not watch ASMR in comparison (Bachem, 2020, p. 2). The

limitations within the study that Selina Bachem (2020) encountered, involved the stimuli

material and whether the advertisements that the participants watched were influenced by their

“product attitude, advertisement liking, purchase intention and sensory expectation evaluation”

(Bachem, 2020, p. 68). Due to these limitations, it gave the participants a chance to give biased

answers and Bachem suggested in future experiments they create their own advertisements

instead as this will give the researcher more control over the conditions manipulations. Bachem

also discovered that “Moreover, the low reliability of the sensory expectation evaluation scale
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 7

was unfavourable, showing a Cronbach’s Alpha of .65 which was below the critical value of .70”

(Bachem, 2020, p. 69). This means that the sensory expectations were lower than the researcher

expected and Bachem suggested that they test this scale again to remove any further issues to

have a more reliable outcome.

This type of research may not be the most helpful because it is difficult to gather a perfect

sample of a population. Isabel Maria Bode, tried to use sampling within her research. Her

research study’s goal was to determine and evaluate if ASMR’s phenomenon was able to

promote “slow tourism destinations and to develop recommendations for action based on the

findings of the study” (Bode, 2019, pg.1). Bode wanted to gauge if slow tourism destinations

could potentially use ASMR as a means of advertising. Bode described that “the survey was to

gather representative data, sampling needed to be as random as possible” which is difficult to do

with people because you can never have a perfect sample (Bode, 2019, pg. 1).

Asmr Fidget Toys

A brand by the name of Just Play released a new line of Sensory FX ASMR-themed toys

and collectibles that were created for the interest of children playing with them to create ASMR.

The toys have various textures and themes. It has sparked a controversy within the community

because of how it is being marketed. This is one aspect of the community I will research further

into because some within feel as if the big companies are taking profit from small creators and

some feel as if this is a good thing because it is showing that ASMR is not strange or sexual in

nature. There are 4 different types of fidget toys you can buy and they range from $2 to $20. The

online website where Just Play sells these fidget toys explain that “ASMR is like a snowflake: no
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 8

two stimuli will give people the same, satisfying, and soothing experience” (Sensory FX Is What

ASMR Dreams Are Made Of, 2020).

Color Psychology Analysis

Synesthesia and ASMR

Synesthesia is the blending of senses. Humans are born with senses and sometimes they

are blended together. This means that people who have this disorder are often able to hear colors,

see sounds, and even taste shapes. Synesthesia is something that you wouldn’t think would be

connected to ASMR, but they two are connected. One study that researchers conducted

discovered “that ASMR participants showed a slightly greater prevalence of synesthesia than the

general population” (Ward, 2013). The type of synesthesia that is most commonly associated

with people who experience ASMR is color synesthesia, particularly, the emotions connected to

colors. The two colors that are frequently seen in the ASMR community are purple and blue,

which are also common within those who experience synesthesia. A study done on those who

experience synesthesia found that “Violet and blue are predominantly “low-pitched” colors”

(Simpson et al., 1956, 98). They associated these two color hues with lower tone frequencies,

which would make sense for Asmrtists to use this to their advantage since most asmr sounds are

catered to lower frequency sounds.

Blue

It was discovered through another experiment done on people who experience synthesia

that “Warm colors (e.g., red, yellow) promote anxiety more than cool colors (blue, green)”

(Hanada, 2018). This researcher showcased that the color blue is able to enhance the feeling of

relaxation and bring forth a sensation of calmness more than the warmer colors like red and
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 9

yellow. While cool colors try to give the audience emotions that invoke calmness and tranquility,

the warmer colors cause a more arousing feeling, which is not where most Asmrtists want the

audience to end up, as most make it clear that this is not a sexualized fetish. Blue overall tends to

be very “sedating” (Hanada, 2018).

Although most studies have found that blue can be associated with positive emotions, it

can also be associated with negative ones as well. Hanada (2018) found that blue also brought

forth “negative emotion words such as “sadness,” “worry,” “regret,” and “depression”. This may

seem off putting at first and it may make people think twice about including this color within

their thumbnails but for asmrtists, these negative emotion words can actually be intended.

Purple

Purple and various shades of this color have not been studied as widely as other colors

such as blue. The main words associated with the color purple in those who experience

synesthesia is magic. But, we do know based on other studies that purple has “pleasure levels”

and are seen as the most pleasant to the eye (Valdez & Mehrabian, 1994, 401). Researchers also

know that purple, like blue, tends to be on the low level scale for arousal, indicating again that

the video's thumbnail wants to give off emotions that are soothing rather than exciting. This

color, although usually associated with royalty, scored the lowest in dominance (Valdez &

Mehrabian, 1994, 408). Although at face value this seems surprising, it’s not so shocking

because of the reason that ASMR videos are intended for. If asmrtists wanted to give off an aura

of dominance, they would use a warmer color such a red or yellow, but instead choose to use

purple in order to indicate friendliness and an open availability.

The Escalation of ASMR in Media 10

Mental Health

Mental health is discussed heavily throughout the ASMR community because many

viewers express that these videos help them with their struggles with mental health. An

ASMRtist by the name GIBI ASMR regularly donates to The Brain and Behavior Research

Foundation and many others showcase the relief that ASMR can provide people.

Emily Dawn Baldwin wrote a thesis titled “The Relationship Between Viewing ASMR

Videos and Affect in College Students with Sensory Sensitivity” and conducted a survey to

understand whether college students who were diagnosed with high sensory processing

sensitivity disorders had a negative or positive affect to viewing ASMR videos. Baldwin

described that “participants completed an online survey which measured SPS level using the

Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS), with those who scored 4.7 or above on the HSPS

considered to have high SPS” (Baldwin, 2020, 1). This survey also used the Multi-Affect

Indicator (MAI) to determine the positive and negative effects that each participant experienced

(Baldwin, 2020, 1). The use of survey methods helped the researchers “determine if their results

can be replicated with this population” (Baldwin, 2020, 8).

A study done by Giulia Lara Poerio, Emma Blakey, Thomas J. Hostler, and Theresa Veltri

titled “More than a feeling: Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by

reliable changes in affect and physiology” investigated whether participants experienced

emotional and physiological responses (Poerio et al., 2018). The researchers conducted two

separate studies.

The first study was a large-scale online experiment and the second was a laboratory one.
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 11

The first study gathered participants from Facebook, Twitter, on a dedicated website, and even

through a university mailing list. The researchers removed responses that were not done in one

sitting or were not completed. The final count of participants that the results came from were “

1002 participants (48% female; Mage = 29.40 years) (Poerio et al., 2018). The study concluded

with the knowledge that those who experienced ASMR reported reduced stress and sadness.

The second study had a 2 x 3 mixed design where there was a group who experienced

ASMR and a group that did not. The two participant groups were shown 3 videos, a control

video, ASMR standard video, and an ASME self-selected video. The second study revealed that

ASMR can reduce the heart rate of the audience and increase the skin conductance levels.

Both of the studies demonstrated that watching ASMR videos “increased the pleasant

affect” but only on those who experienced ASMR (Poerio et al., 2018). In conclusion, these two

studies showcased that ASMR “is a reliable and physiologically-rooted experience” that can be

used for therapeutic benefits for both physical and mental health of those who watch and

experience ASMR (Poerio et al., 2018).

Methods

Method 1: Survey

The cases in which survey methods are appropriate can be most often decided in whether

the researchers are trying to collect qualitative and/or quantitative data. Survey design research

methods are an excellent option for researchers who prefer a variety of different information

collection mediums such as; in-person interviews, email interviews, survey’s like Google Forms

and much more. This method of research is helpful because the information that is collected can
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 12

be written into a descriptive analysis. The main area that survey methods are useful is when

participants are able to and are eager to self-report their own personal information truthfully.

First pre-pilot survey results

I tried using the Survey Design method and conducted a pilot study with this method but

the results were not as expected. I will use a survey to help me in choosing who to interview in

the future to make sure that my demographics are correct. It also helps me get a better

understanding of the community by sampling a variety of the viewers. I plan to use interviews in

order to get a better understanding and more precise answers. Below are some of the questions

that I asked in my survey and were not as helpful as I would have liked. I realized that if I

wanted to have better results, I would need a more in depth conversation with the ASMR

community.

The first figure shows a question from my pilot survey. This question asked why the

participants watched ASMR. I posted my survey link to Facebook and Twitter and received 9

responses in total.

Figure 1. Why do you watch ASMR?

The second figure shows how the participants viewed ASMR. I asked this question

specifically because it is valuable information for my future research to understand how those
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 13

inside and outside the community see ASMR. It will help me determine the differences and

similarities, along with what stereotypes are being perpetuated by the media.

Figure 2. How do you view the community?

The third and fourth figures showcase written responses from the participants in the

survey pilot study. This section did not do as well as I would have hoped and was a major reason

as to why I decided a survey may not be the best method for gathering complex information. In

figure three I asked, “What does community mean to you?” and I had a couple good answers but

I also had some answers that did not quite meet the standards I would have liked. It could have

been that my question was poorly worded and the participants did not understand what I meant in

terms of community or that the participants I was able to get to take the survey did not take it

seriously. The fourth figure below, asks how many hours (if any) they watch ASMR for. This

question also got some mixed responses and I found that the way that I worded the question was

confusing and did not work well with participants who do not watch ASMR or had no idea what

ASMR was.
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 14

Figure 3. What does community mean to you?

Figure 4. How many hours do you typically watch ASMR and when?

Figure five and six helped me in determining my main demographics because they gave

me some insight on the ages of my participants and gender identity. They also allowed me to see

who is more likely to watch ASMR. I will be incorporating more in-depth questions in regards to

my participants demographics because it allows me to view the community at a data perspective.

I was actually pleasantly surprised that people in the 46-50 range had heard about ASMR and I

even had one participant who watched ASMR at least once a week. That is the main reason I

moved my age range up from 35 to 50. Doing this will allow me to research a wider range of
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 15

people throughout the ASMR community. I was not surprised that more females took the survey

as I did post it onto my personal Facebook and Twitter with a higher percentage of female

viewers.

Figure 5. What is your age range?

Figure 6. What is your gender identity?

Method 2: Content Analysis

Content analysis research methods would be useful because it is most commonly used to

assess verbal behavior in humans as well as other media artifacts like visuals, text, and even new

technological media. This method actually deals with what is being done or has been done. I
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 16

could use this method and supplement my qualitative research alongside it. The behavior that

this method tends to view includes many things like; movies, video games, magazines, and even

comic stripes. I would use it to understand the ASMR content and the comments that people

make about the topic. This research method would also be useful in my literature reviews about

studies that have already been conducted. Content analysis is a method that cannot be easily

defined because it is so complex, which might make it more difficult for me to use, which is why

the qualitative research method would be helpful.

Method 3: Qualitative

I plan to use a qualitative study on the ASMR community. How the rise in media has

affected their community following, diversity problems, mental health, entertainment and more. I

plan to conduct research on the content that is being created. I want to observe the audience and

community as a whole to see how they interact with each other and those from outside the

community. I will conduct a survey to help prove my qualitative research on the themes of

roleplay videos between two asmrtists.

Some research questions I will be asking are: What is the affective power of ASMR and

its community? Why has it grown? What does this mean for the future of the community? My

future interviews will be based upon those who have taken my new survey. This new survey will

help me identify who would be a good fit for an interview. My interview questions will consist of

asking community members community based questions. For example, I would hope to have a

mix of people from before ASMR was popular to those who joined because it got popular and I

would ask how each person views the community. Do they find it diverse and accepting? Are

there major differences between ASMRtists? What are the stereotypes of the community and are
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 17

some of them true? How would they define their community and do they like the fact that the

media is using it for their own gain?

Chapter Outlines

Chapter 1 Purpose of the study

- History of ASMR

- Why do people watch ASMR?

- What are the research questions?

- End goal for the study

Chapter 2 Community online

- What is a community?

- What is an online community?

- ASMR community research literature

Chapter 3 Research Study

- Survey to acquire the correct demographic information

- Demographics of the study population

- Part 2 of study: Interviews

- Interview results

Chapter 4 Conclusion

- What were the overall results from the study?

- What could be done differently to improve the study done?

- Did my research questions get answered?

The Escalation of ASMR in Media 18

- What is next for future research in ASMR?

Timeline
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 19

Bibliography

Anonymous. (2015, July 2). History of ASMR. ASMR University.

https://asmruniversity.com/history-of-asmr/

Bachem, S. B. (2020, June 26). Food that tingles your brain? : Exploring the potential of ASMR

fast food advertisements by gaining insights into their effects on consumers’ product and

ad evaluations as well as on their evaluation of voice, sounds and visuals

[Info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis]. University of Twente.

http://essay.utwente.nl/81674/

Baldwin, E. D. (2020). The Relationship Between Viewing ASMR Videos and Affect in College

Students with Sensory Sensitivity [Kent State University].

https://etd.ohiolink.edu/pg_10?0::NO:10:P10_ACCESSION_NUM:ksuhonors158819396

0759999

Bode, M. I. (2019). Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) as a marketing tool: An

examination of the online phenomenon’ s potential in the promotion mix of slow tourism

destinations. https://media.suub.uni-bremen.de/handle/elib/4200

Del Campo, M. (2019). An Examination of Relationships between Autonomous Sensory

Meridian Response (ASMR) and Facets of Mindfulness. Doctoral Dissertations.

https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations/2351

Keryova, E. (2020). YouTube: Online Video and Participatory Culture: 2nd ed., Jean Burgess and

Joshua Green, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2018, 191 pages, £12.99 (paperback), £40.78

(hardcover), ISBN-13: 978-0-7456-6019-6. Information, Communication & Society, 23,

1–2. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1726989
The Escalation of ASMR in Media 20

Mervosh, S. (2019, February 7). A.S.M.R. Videos Give People the Tingles (No, Not That Way)

(Published 2019). The New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/07/style/asmr-definition-video-women.html

Poerio, G. L., Blakey, E., Hostler, T. J., & Veltri, T. (2018). More than a feeling: Autonomous

sensory meridian response (ASMR) is characterized by reliable changes in affect and

physiology. PLOS ONE, 13(6), e0196645. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0196645

Sensory FX Is What ASMR Dreams Are Made Of. (2020, October 5). The Toy Insider.

https://www.thetoyinsider.com/sensory-fx-review/

Young, J., & Blansert, I. (2015). ASMR. Penguin.

The Escalation of ASMR in Media 21

Appendix