Hear the Tap, Feel the Scratch

In recent years, millions of people around the world have discovered the calming effects of ASMR short for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. These are videos that use soft sounds, whispers, and gentle gestures to create a pleasant tingling sensation and a feeling of deep relaxation. For many, watching ASMR videos online has become a daily ritual to fall asleep, reduce anxiety, or simply unwind. But what exactly makes ASMR so effective, and what can it tell us about how we care for ourselves in todays world? This book offers the first in-depth cultural study of ASMR as a media and sensory phenomenon. It approaches ASMR not as a medical curiosity, but as a new kind of media practice shaped by technology, emotion, and the body. By analyzing a selection of ASMR videos ranging from roleplays to performances focused on object interaction the book reveals how ASMR creates intimate, sensory experiences that blur the line between human and machine, reality and simulation. To understand this complex phenomenon, the study draws on theories from media studies, posthumanism, and affect theory. It treats ASMR as a post-cinematic form a media practice that goes beyond traditional storytelling or film genres, focusing instead on bodily sensations, emotional atmospheres, and immersive interactions. The book shows how ASMR operates through what scholars call affective media, which means media designed not just to be seen or heard, but to be felt. Whispers, tapping sounds, and slow movements become tools for creating closeness, safety, and calm often simulating a one-on-one, caring relationship between the viewer and the performer. One of the key questions the book addresses is how ASMR contributes to changing ideas of intimacy in digital culture. In an age where human contact is often replaced or supplemented by digital technologies, ASMR provides a form of mediated touch and care. Drawing on posthumanist thought, the book explores how these interactions challenge the boundaries between human and non-human, physical and virtual, natural and artificial. It asks what it means to experience affection and connection when those feelings are generated by a screen, a voice, or a set of visual and audio cues. The research combines theoretical analysis with digital ethnography, examining not only the videos themselves but also user engagement in the form of viewer comments. This allows the book to position ASMR within broader cultural trends particularly the rise of digital self-care and wellness practices, where people turn to technology for emotional support and personal healing. ASMR is more than a curious internet trend it is a powerful expression of how we seek comfort, calm, and connection in an increasingly fast-paced, overstimulating world. This book invites readers to consider how media shape our emotions, how bodies and technologies interact, and how self-care is being redefined in the digital age.