ASMR, which stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, is a neologism used to describe satisfying and pleasant tingling sensations that often give goosebumps. YouTuber Jennifer Allen first coined the word in 2010, and relevant content has been popular on YouTube since 2013. As of 2022, about 2.5 million ASMR videos are uploaded on YouTube by more than 500,000 ASMRtists. Yoon Yoon-ju, an ASMRtist running the YouTube channel “Judy asmr” since 2017, is one of them.
Yoon graduated from Ewha Womans University in 2018 with a double major in Keyboard Instruments and Fashion Industry. When she was an undergraduate suffering from insomnia, ASMR videos significantly helped her to fall asleep. The sound and atmosphere made her feel comfortable and relaxed.
Since then, Yoon had been looking for ASMR videos not only when she had to sleep but also when she studied or had to concentrate. As much as she enjoyed ASMR videos, her affection for the content deepened, which led her to want to create her own. Therefore, she began running an ASMR YouTube channel, which now holds around 398,000 subscribers.
When shooting her videos, she uses microphones dedicated to ASMR. Since even the merest sound is recorded, she has no choice but to be awfully sensitive to noise.
“For example, I have to shoot at dawn rather than during the day and cannot turn on the air conditioner or the fan even in the summer,” Yoon said. “One time, I filmed for three hours in a soundproof booth in the middle of summer. However, I could not turn on the air conditioner, so I had a hard time pretending it was not hot.”
Amongst Yoon’s ASMR videos, those with unique concepts are the most popular. A role-playing ASMR with the concept of getting makeup done by a mean friend has received about six million views as of 2022. Various videos with Harry Potter concepts, such as visiting Ollivander’s Wand Shop, also gained attention.
Yoon thinks everything can be an inspiration for her ASMR content,such as daily life, people around her, travel, books, movies, dramas, and more. Even she herself does not know what will be the subject of her next videos. Thus, she tries to see and feel everything around her as much as possible.
In the case of role-playing ASMR, Yoon sets the video concept and first selects music that matches the concept. She said listening to music maximizes her imagination. While listening to the music, she writes down what story and what kind of sound she will make the video with. She often writes the entire script. After the process of planning, Yoon prepares the background image, costumes, and props needed for the video. Then, the filming begins.
Sometimes, she finishes filming in a single take, but if the result does not come out as she wished, she films all over again. She has had cases where she had to delete the entire file due to poor recording quality or stay up all night until she got the sound she wanted. Still, she does not give up because she only feels satisfied with her videos when her desired results come out.
Viewers who watched Yoon’s ASMR videos left comments and sent messages or emails saying they received a lot of help from her content to relieve insomnia and anxiety. Yoon loves to read such comments because they make her feel proud of herself. Recently, she went to an ASMR exhibition at the London Design Museum in the United Kingdom, where she was able to really feel that ASMR has become worldwide popular sensation. She was proud to be called “ASMRtist.”
Currently, Yoon is working as a full-time YouTuber. The advantage of the job is that she can start and finish work at any time she wants, regardless of time and place, which sometimes is disadvantageous. She often stays up all night for a better video since the time to leave work is not set. Being able to work from home is also an advantage and a disadvantage. Since workplaces and residential places are not separated, she frequently starts work while taking a rest.
“When I interviewed with Ewha Today two years ago, I said that you should use your favorite field as your main content if you want to run your own YouTube Channel,” Yoon said. “I still think so. You cannot run a YouTube channel for a long time if you dislike the content you produce. You have to do what you truly like so that you can keep improving without getting tired of the work.”