"Your Videos are Like Medicine": An Intertextual Analysis of ASMR Discourse

ASMR, which refers to the pleasant tingling sensation felt on the scalp and/or spine, triggered by a combination of auditory, visual, and tactile stimuli, has flourished on YouTube. ASMR content, however, does not exist in isolation on the video-sharing platform, reflecting both a supportive (albeit imagined) community of producers and consumers and a discourse that fosters perceptions of trusting relationships, belonging, and intimacy. In this study, I conducted an intertextual analysis of the comments posted to videos uploaded by 25 of the most popular ASMRtists on YouTube. Three prominent discourses emerged out of this analysis: mental health, addiction, and professionalism. ASMR discourse promotes positive health behaviors, rejecting the stigmatization of mental health struggles while simultaneously subscribing to neoliberal ideologies that place sole responsibility on individuals for their health and obfuscate larger societal structures that engender workaholism. These intertextualities exist in tension, illustrating the layered complexity of ASMR discourse.