Sensory media has become a recent phenomenon and recognised characteristic of online screen production. Autonomous sensory meridian response or ASMR videos have become increasingly popular in recent years. ASMR is an experience of a tingling sensation triggered by a specific sensory stimulus. Most commonly, ASMR videos focus on auditory and visual sensations. For our practical test, we decided to explore this new field of sensory media and create an ASMR inspired video. We decided to focus on the auditory aspect of ASMR, and attempt to create a screen production that triggered an ASMR response.

Creating ASMR is interesting, as it is specifically catered for a niche audience. It is created for the purpose of triggering a specific response. The internet has become a landscape for diversity and creativity, it has allowed for niche communities to form and thrive through online media production. It was therefore interesting to conduct our test and think of ways to produce sound that would trigger an ASMR response and appeal to the niche ASMR audience. However, while ASMR is highly specific and niche, I have also come to realise that it can be extremely diverse. There are no restrictions in terms of length, some ASMR producers create short videos while others create forty minute videos- I have even come across a continuous live stream of ASMR. Moreover, the ways in which the videos can be produced is also variant. There are a large number of ASMR inducing triggers that can be explored through creating an ASMR video, from whispers to tapping.

Creating the ASMR inspired video furthered my understanding of diverse relationships between content producers and audiences, as fostered by the internet. ASMR videos are highly influenced by audience interaction. Throughout the making process I felt as though I had more of the audience in mind than I usually would when creating content. I felt more of a connection to the audience in the way of questioning if the sounds we were creating would actually appeal to an established ASMR audience. Producing this video has allowed me to further understand content production catered for a highly specific audience. It makes me wonder if online screen production will become more specific and audience driven with time or if niche content such as ASMR will become obsolete?

This is the practical test that Jackson and I conducted in response to the formal characteristic of online screen production, sensory media. In recent years ASMR as a form of sensory media has become increasingly popular. It is created for a niche audience and in order to serve a specific purpose, therefore it was interesting to explore creating an ASMR inspired video. For the purpose of this test we believed it was more important to focus on the audio and therefore decided to utilise creative commons visual graphics. On reflection, it could be interesting to explore the visual side of ASMR, however it is predominantly audio based so therefore we thought we would start there.

The Creative Commons material we used included:

https://archive.org/details/morphingwhite

https://archive.org/details/orangeparticles

http://zfootage.com/free-hd-black-white-background-loop/

Initially, I was restricted in my view of online screen production. I viewed it as too closely aligned with traditional media. The interesting thing about online and traditional media production is that projects can move between the two platforms. For example, the television show Broad City was initially a web series that was then moved to traditional television. In my opinion, lines are being blurred between online and traditional screen production as the internet grows and technology expands.

As I was exploring various web series, I came across God Particles – a four part series that explores four character’s lives in the event of the potential end of the world. God Particles is interesting to examine as a web series as it has characteristics of both traditional and online screen productions. The series is of quite a high production standard- it hasn’t been made on a low grade phone camera by a twelve year old exploring film. It is also fairly traditional in terms of its linear storyline and centralisation to one platform. Yet, God Particles also has characteristics that make it consumable on the internet. In terms of content, God Particles features a sense of dark humour that is almost omnipresent on the internet. Moreover, there are only four parts to the series and each part is relatively short in length. Differing from traditional media, the internet caters an environment where practically any length of a screen production is possible. God Particles is the kind of series that was clearly developed for the internet, but could still be adapted for television.

As I initially commenced my exploration of online media by discovering more traditional web series I wanted to expand on my understanding of what can be produced for the internet. I have also come to realise that there are certain aspects of the internet that have allowed for the creation and distribution of content extremely dissimilar to traditional media productions. Something I have always known, but not analysed is the vastness of the internet and the inherent impact this has on the content produced for the internet. The way I view the internet is as an infinite open space within which content and information can be uploaded. There is a decentralised and unregulated aspect of the internet, which has fostered a creative freedom that allows for extremely diverse media products.

One aspect of the internet is its web like interconnectedness, as various links, tags and sharing create a network of content. This kind of understanding of the internet brought to my attention the relevance of interactive screen production. This kind of screen production is something that has been created through the affordances of the internet. Thinking about this, I remembered an interactive fortune teller YouTube video I came across when I was younger. The video is part of a network of videos, connected through hyperlinks. The project is non linear in that the story can be changed through the actions of the audience. This kind of interactive media is interesting as it gives the audience a greater sense of autonomy.

The internet allows for greater connectedness between audiences and content creators. As anyone can produce content, share, like and interact, this blurs the lines between audiences and creators. It creates a space where almost anything can be produced, with audience in mind or without.