Na własnej skórze. Wprowadzenie do ASMR jako transmedialnego zjawiska estetycznego

This article discusses autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR, a sensation of ‘pleasant tingling’ or ‘brain tingles’ experienced by people watching videos prepared especially for this purpose and posted primarily on YouTube. With the interest in this phenomenon constantly on the rise, ASMR is nowadays becoming something more than merely a marginal community of online enthusiasts. On the one hand, ASMR is a bottom-up phenomenon. As a social media product it has spread through YouTube, which makes it more difficult to analyse and collect all ASMR videos available online. Therefore, this text focuses on the works of one specific ASMR artist. Known as Ephemeral Rift, he has been among the first ASMR content creators in the Internet. On the other hand, ASMR is a novelty and thus still an interesting issue for scientists who work at the intersection of sciences, such as biology, neurocognitive science, psychology, media studies and cultural studies. What is ASMR? What research is currently available regarding this phenomenon that until recently has been difficult to define? Will ASMR enter the realm of transmedia genres and forms of expression for good? The author tries to answer these questions, bearing in mind that this is still a fresh concept where the ‘old’ meets the ‘brand new’ in the media and therefore requires further research.