On the Limits of Platform-Centric Research: YouTube, ASMR, and Affordance Bilingualism

Authors

  • Jessica Maddox University of Alabama

Keywords:

ASMR, YouTube, affordances, digital ethnography, digital labor, perception, affordance bilingualism

Abstract

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) has become a ubiquitous part of YouTube, and this research explores ASMR through the lens of affordance theory to help further define this visual social media culture. However, ASMR as a culture and community on YouTube flourishes despite platform intervention, structural affordances, and perceptions of the site’s technologies. Following a 3-year digital ethnography into ASMR on YouTube, I suggest these creator–viewer relationships are best understood through what I call affordance bilingualism: the dialectical interplay between producer and consumer. I invoke this as a heuristic and critical device—useful for social media researchers, particularly digital ethnographers, who seek to understand nuances and relationships within a content creation community, as well as how content is created and consumed with understanding the others’ positions.

Author Biography

Jessica Maddox, University of Alabama

Assistant Professor of Digital MediaDepartment of Journalism and Creative MediaUniversity of Alabama

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Published

2021-02-13

Issue

Vol. 15 (2021)

Section

Articles

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