As the topic of Mukbanging becomes more prominent across the internet, The Channels asked two staff writers to discuss whether or not Mukbanging should be normalized.
Colin Leese, Staff Writer
Mukbanging, along with all kinds of ASMR should be normalized on social media, as long as it is not harmful or hateful content.
Many Youtube viewers, Tik Tok users, and Instagram scrollers all have one thing in common, they sure enjoy using social media. For the last 20 years, social media platforms have expanded at astronomical rates, allowing for so many different kinds of usage. Among the most popular types of content is ASMR, which stands for autonomous sensory meridian response.
People film ASMR by recording themselves with microphones very close to their mouth while performing a task such as eating. While some may find this level of noise extremely irritating, others find satisfaction in the tingly sensation from listening closely. Social media viewers utilize this as a way of relaxation. Certain sound waves give viewers or listeners a kind of chilling or calming effect, giving a sense of pleasure or soothing.
To “Mukbang”, which is an expression used commonly in South Korea, means to record the eating of a meal. There is no legitimate reason that “mukbanging” vlogs or any sort of eating-related ASMR should be discriminated against. If you do not like hearing people chew their food, watch something else. There is no need to take away people’s right to create content, as long as it is not harming any human being or anything else for that matter.
Hilary Litton, Staff Writer
If we’re looking at this question after the video of Nikocado Avocado was posted to YouTube the reasonable answer would be no absolutely not, him being a prime example of the toxic culture that shrouds this subgenre of ASMR. There are healthy, conscious ways of having this type of channel, but its long-term effects on its viewers and the root of why people turn to mukbang in the first place are not and should not be normal.
While the more obvious consequences would be obesity, higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and binge eating, what’s even more concerning is the mentality behind it and the reasoning that people use.
With its origins in South Korea, mukbang rose in popularity in the early 2010s and gained international traction in early 2020. It came about as more people in Korea began living alone and needed a sense of belonging and community. While the community is essential, especially during the pandemic, creating a community based in a potentially addictive setting lays the groundwork for people to continue to be unhealthy.
It gets to the point where people use ASMR, mukbang, and the internet in general to sort of self-medicate and cope. Since ASMR in general is already highly rewarding and addictive for many viewers it’s easy to fall into an already self-destructive cycle. Couple this with food and you’re practically bound to develop an eating disorder or if not have an unhealthy relationship with food in general. Should this really be viewed as normal?
Just as you probably shouldn’t go out for drinks with people you know from an AA group, you wouldn’t go eat to a buffet with people who have a history of binge eating; it continues to feed into a problem that is already shared.
There is a certain cycle of isolation leading to indulgence that leads to further isolation in this online community that allows mukbang to flourish. While that may not be the case for all people watching or making the content, normalizing it so broadly without criticism normalizes feeding into your problems.
