If you’re up to date with most YouTube, Instagram, or Twitter trends you’ve most likely heard of mukbangs. The word mukbang (먹는) is short for the words “eating” and “live broadcast show” in Korean. Mukbangs can feature any type of food the person filming would like to eat, but in huge amounts. These YouTubers also engage with audiences while eating and may sometimes include ASMR (Autonomous sensory meridian response) which includes chewing sounds, crunching sounds, light tapping, and much more. Ever since the trend originated in Korea, a lot of other countries (especially America) have tried to ride the popularity wave that comes with doing these types of videos as well. Some popular mukbang Youtubers are Dorothy, MissMangoButt, hyuneeEats, KEEMI, and Yuka Kinoshita. A lot of the time people watch mukbang videos for the sounds, or because they’re also eating at the moment and would like to feel some sort of company while eating. There are also some YouTubers who stream around lunch and dinner time, to interact with their subscribers a lot more. It is important to keep in mind that there are different types of mukbang videos out there floating around and it is difficult to see the differences at first. There are mukbangs where there are challenges, so the person broadcasting will try to finish said amount of food within a time frame. There are also mukbangs that mostly focus on the ASMR side of things, meaning there won’t be a lot of interacting as there will be crunching noises, and these types often include weird foods such as crunchy ice or anything that is deep fried. Another mukbang is one that shows the process of making the food(s) that will be eaten throughout the video (if it isn’t fast food or already ordered) a lot of YouTubers make their own mukbang foods and even leave recipes in the description for subscribers to follow if they later crave what was shown. The last type of mukbang is the good old original where there is just a large amount of food ordered from a restaurant and they are simply eating it while answering questions or talking about their day. It is important to keep in mind that there are different types of mukbang videos out there floating around and it is difficult to see the differences at first. There are mukbangs where there are challenges, so the person broadcasting will try to finish said amount of food within a time frame. There are also mukbangs that mostly focus on the ASMR side of things, meaning there won’t be a lot of interacting as there will be crunching noises, and these types often include weird foods such as crunchy ice or anything that is deep fried. Another mukbang is one that shows the process of making the food(s) that will be eaten throughout the video (if it isn’t fast food or already ordered) a lot of YouTubers make their own mukbang foods and even leave recipes in the description for subscribers to follow if they later crave what was shown. The last type of mukbang is the good old original where there is just a large amount of food ordered from a restaurant and they are simply eating it while answering questions or talking about their day.
I think that the reason mukbangs are popular is because of the loneliness that a lot of Americans feel nowadays. In a study done by UCLA, it shows that half of americans feel lonely or feel like their relationships aren’t meaningful enough. 56% of people said the people they surround themselves around “are not necessarily with them”, and about 40% said they “lack companionship,” their “relationships aren’t meaningful,” and that they feel “isolated from others.” This amount of loneliness among americans makes it obvious that a lot of them eat most of their meals alone, in fact, 57% of meals are eaten alone. People who feel like they’re lonely now use social media and other entertainment platforms to hide it. Humans need to interact with others to live, no matter if you think you hate people or you’re antisocial, everyone craves some kind of friendship. Since this is not always available people start watching others that share their lives online to make it seem like they are actually interacting and know this person like an old friend. Since a large majority of meals are eaten alone, what better thing to do than to watch a mukbang to make it seem like you’re just catching up or chatting with an old friend? It gives some people that aren’t fortunate enough to have friends that sort of “daily dose of human interaction”. I don’t really see anything wrong with this trend, on the contrary, I thinks it nice since people that don’t have company often now have something to make them feel less lonely. A lot of people have been hating on the trend though, saying it encourages gluttony, eating disorders, and isolates people from face to face conversations. It’s good to have your own opinion, but I’m pretty sure the people watching are aware that this is just someone who’s trying to have a good time. It’s their own decision what they want to do with their body. In brief, mukbangs are a way to enjoy yourself when you find yourself alone instead of pitying yourself. Since loneliness among Americans is pretty high it make sense that this would be a big trend here, watching someone else eat their food while talking to their viewers distracts them from their lonesome times. Mukbangs are definitely an interesting genre to explore if you’re looking for something new. Comments are closed.
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