The Dark Side of ASMR

ASMR is a replacement for friendship, care and love.

I've had a rude awakening when it comes to the fashionable youtube 'relaxation' technique, ASMR (autonomous meridian sensory response). I've been using for about 3 years, and have come to depend on it to unwind. Forget porn, ASMR is where the money's at nowadays!

 Anyway, I was flicking through one pretty yet amiable lady's video, a 2 hour livestream to say 'thank you' for her now having 500,000 subscribers (megabucks), and she just so happened to be cross-streaming on twitch and of course was accepting tips. Unbelievably this girl received a $1000 tip, shocked she described herself as "sweating" and called the guy "crazy". One commenter called the tipper a "cuck" and referred to the sad state of affairs when a grown man is giving someone money like that for a youtube video - I couldn't agree more.

 You see this is the dark side of ASMR -every budding ASMRtist has a patreon, multiple social media accounts, and is probably on the tingles app as well. So lets be honest, they get paid by Youtube, Patreon subscribers, and Tingles, for sitting in front of a camera rubbing a microphone with a make-up brush. This is ridiculous, it's a scam! Playing on the lonely and depressed.

"The demand for Maria's videos is so great that she's one of a handful of people who have quit their day jobs to pursue creating ASMR-inducing videos full-time. Gentle Whispering ASMR has more than 872,000 subscribers, and her top five videos alone have amassed more than 47 million views. While she won't disclose how much she's making, she noted it's enough for her to have a "comfortable living," but she's more attracted to the fact she's giving people a way to de-stress than the money." 

"It takes time, but there's definitely money to be made if you want to make money,"Now I'm not saying that the ASMR girls are doing anything wrong, or are intentionally scamming people. What I'm saying is when you realistically look at what ASMR is, it's basically a scam. Most ASMRtists are pretty young girls, Most viewers are lonely men. Don't believe me? Look at the comments on any ASMR video. This is a prostitution of comfort, not sex. The average ASMR video nowadays is not about the fabled ASMR effect, but about caring, comfort, personal attention. ASMR is supposed to be a brain effect of sound, but now it's become a pretty girl talking you to sleep, making you feel warm and loved.

Gentle Whispering's Maria felt her first rush of ASMR when getting undivided attention from a friend.

 It's got to the point where the most subscribed ASMR artist, ASMR Darling has over two million subscribers, which when you think about what they ACTUALLY contribute, is unbelievable. ASMR is big money, and she has her own merchandise store and is in no need of regular support via patreon. Her most popular video has almost 28 million views and is "ASMR 10 Triggers to Help you Sleep". Lonely guys who need a youtube video to help them sleep because they have no one. That's the dark side of ASMR, it's replacing something we all want, companionship.

But just like porn, prostitution and other unhealthy vices, it's become a business. Yes of course it seems fair enough "you like my videos, support me". But when someone on a livestream receives $1000 dollars for nothing, and the best response the ASMR artist (lol artist) can give to the guy who called him a cuck is "he's in my discord, we play games together", you do have to ask just what is happening to the human race. He just gave someone he plays video games with A THOUSAND DOLLARS. WHY DID HE DO THAT? (achem, the answer is because he fancies you ASMR glow)

Let me be blunt, if "ASMR glow" was male, she wouldn't have received $1000. I can guarantee it. Just like a man wouldn't give another man flowers, or chocolates, If he was named Shaun instead of Sharon he'd have got nada.

That's the dark side. I guess it works both ways, of course I listen to female ASMR, not male. I guess girls listen to guys. An industry of exploitation has developed, and girls get guys to subscribe and pay a monthly fee for more videos, to say your name, to do roleplay for you, all on different tiers of payment, the more you pay - the more you get, know what I mean *wink*? I don't deny that ASMR does fulfil a role thats desperately needed in our socially isolated world, I also don't deny that a lot of work goes into them, that's why I call this a dark side, and I don't discount it's use case for those who are depressed, anxious, lonely. But the dark side reveals that there is a real problem in society at large, that millions (literally) are in desperate need of loving care, and that care is being replaced by a youtube video. I haven't gone into the sexualisation of it as well, but it exists - Even Youtube has had issues with that.

Epilogue

I will continue to use ASMR, I will never pay a penny for it, my ads are always off. Theres only one youtuber I would ever give money to, I won't name her here because I wouldn't associate her with the content I've written, but she's the only one who actually provides a service, her videos are Reiki first, ASMR second. I also have to point out that I don't have an issue with people making money doing something they love, I also think that people who work hard - and ASMR videos are hard to make - should be rewarded. However I feel that diligence should be wielded because ASMR is being produced at an industrial level, and there are many very lonely people who really are falling in love with these content creators, I hope that the light outweighs the dark, only time will tell.

Quotes from:
CNBC article on ASMR

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