Essay on Mukbang-Live Show: Vicarious Satisfaction or Free Money

Introduction

Mukbang - a combination of the Korean word for eating (muk-ja) and broadcasting (bang-song) is one of the leading eating shows broadcasted over the internet. The love shows involve different participants eating an assortment of foods for fame or money. Millions of people online through YouTube, the live shows website or other video sharing channels, watch every show. Mukbang means eating broadcasting and since 2014 when the first show was aired in South Korea, the show has increased in reach and many new subscribers join daily to see participants (hosts) streaming their meals (Anderson & Anderson, 2010). The main highlight of the shows is the broadcast jockeys and their demeanor as their slurp their meals such as ramen, smack their lips and lick their fingers with mouthfuls talking to their fan. The main motivation for the audience is still not known but by examining the growing viewer base and secondary data analysis, the researcher hypotheses that making has grown because of the Schadenfreude phenomenon.

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People Watch to Learn How to Make Money

Most of the broadcasting jockeys that stream their meals earn a lot of money from the shows through endorsements deal, advertisements, subscriptions and other monetizing channels. Most of the viewers are also aspiring broadcasting jockeys whose aim are suffering from eating disorders but do not have the courage to speak about it or stream their eating videos. People, therefore, what to learn (Hong & Hong, 2018). There are avid broadcasting jockeys whose videos are watched more often and they aim to learn from their mistakes and make the best videos for future audiences, increase viewership get and drive more traffic to their previous videos. Financial rewards come in terms of donations, and advertisements. For example, there is a link for donations and small micropayments. Some fans make a suggestion to the companies whose meals are consumed online to pay the hosts. Both Afreecatv and Twitch benefit from the mukbang trend because it also drives traffic to their websites and television channels. The more the number of viewers the more the revenue from advertisements (Jorissen, Ferraro & Sandau, 2008). A husband host can earn as much as $10,000 per month and the nastier foods the more revenue for hosts. More comments, likes, and messages on the social media interaction platform the more revenues. Therefore, this is not only an eating broadcast but also an immigrant source of revenue for the hosts and the television stations.

Schadenfreude or Vicarious Satisfaction

Based on the Schadenfreude phenomenon which translates into people gaining satisfaction by witnessing other peoples misfortunes, problems or experiences, there are also many viewers who watch the show because they enjoy seeing people eating various unpalatable foods such as octopus, wild animals, large amount of meals and a cocktail of meals that one cannot eat on normal occasions. The rationale is always the nastier the meals, the higher the viewership and impact of the video. For example, those who consume the largest meal portions are likely to attract more viewers than those who eat common meals in manageable portions. People enjoy seeing other struggles to scoop large portions of nasty foods into their mouthy, chew and swallow. Probably, the best part that draws attention is the slurping a clicking sound of the ramen. The show has spread faster to the other parts of the world and many more people are broadcast themselves eating various elaborate meals.

Parody and Health Paradox

At a time when everyone is health conscious and many people are more scared of obesity, diabetes, and other health problems related to poor nutritional practices. Seeing an individual consumer a large portion of unhealthy cheeseburgers and mocking obesity and fitness is itself a hilarious feeling. The fun of watching another person eat what you would love to enact but fear the consequences is fun and this is the reason why most participant command a sizeable audience. In one show, one can broadcast himself eating cheeseburgers, tacos, chow mein, hash browns, salad, donuts, potato chips, skippy peanut butter bites, and Peanut Butter Fudge Core ice cream, which is a whole bunch or unhealthy delicacies. Witnessing such a scene serves two purposes, makes one question the rationale behind dieting, and gives one the satisfaction; most lonely people would eat comfortably by watching another person eat.

Most people are more interested in seeing people contradict themselves. Korea is among the healthiest societies worldwide. Therefore, seeing people contradicts the notion of a healthy country by consuming an unhealthy amount of foods fuels the desire to watch more videos of Korean's live streaming their unhealthy eating hobbits. The videos contract the reality as the hosts and the audiences under the weight of the MukBang are increasingly modifying the long-held assumptions. The health, and fitness, as well as the nutritional spheres, are the most interesting shows that mostly clouded by the presumptions. The Korean eating broadcasts hosts are increasingly challenging the health conscious presumptions through the onslaught of the MukBang shows. Additionally, YouTube has become a major platform where users generate incomes by either hosting videos or watching the live streaming. The audiences earn rewards and selected people are rewarded financially. While the viewers find the shows, more entertaining and the storylines more engaging by the day. As people seek more entertaining storylines, they are treated to different content by different hosts every day.

As endorsements, some host is requested to promote brands, products, foods franchise by eating their meals online to attract more customers to their brand. While many viewers tend to be more restrictive with their diets and would love to eat more through watching videos and live vicariously through the video hosts, viewers tend to enjoy vicarious satisfaction. Those who suffer from anorexia nervosa and waATng the MukBang or eating a large portion of foods while streaming helps them become more relaxed around food, as the platform also gives them a forum to take, follow or stream their passion for food. Living and eating vicariously through other peoples is not only fun but also make people feel full after watching the MukBang shows which to everyone seems to exalt gluttony

Korea is a collectivist's society and their sense of community comes alive when challenged towards seeing other Koreans eat. While the Korean's love enjoying their holidays together the binging has found its way to the television and the fact that it is scheduled at meal times makes it even more interesting as their broadcast jokey eat and engages the viewers in the discussion as the viewer's comments and stream next to the video frame. (Anderson & Anderson, 2010)

Stimulate Appetite

While Schadenfreude is driven by the audience's perspective about the food being eaten, some of the viewers develop an interest in the show because they want to compare themselves to the hosts. To these viewers, watching other people co some large amount of food gives them the appetite to eat. Those who care the company of audiences when eating easily consume a large number of foods because they are sure they have the audience and the company of viewers so they have the appetites (Hong & Hong, 2018). In this age of technological advancements, people use the internet to change their relationship with food and their attitude towards food (Jorissen, Ferraro & Sandau, 2008). People worldwide are more focused on how much weight gain places at risk of health problems such as obesity, therefore, finding one who can really motivate you into eating large portions of tasty foods gives the people the motivation to watch more. Many viewers live videos (WikiVividly, 2018). People, with various eating problems from anorexia nervosa, would find such videos more interesting so they use the Mukbang as a starting point for their food phobias as they audience exchange ideas and the host interact with the audiences. People are free to engage in food-related issues when they find a platform where people actually engage in unhealthy eating and are free to answers their questions.

When hosts produce nasty chewing and slurping sounds, the people do not feel offended, as they would be if they were actually eating together. The main argument is that the sounds for the food being chewed ads to the satisfaction of the husband. Most audiences find the sound more satisfying than the actual food being savored, as the sound is what describes the actual texture of the food. The Korean people are encouraged to be more open and free as the culture is more about a collectivist's society (Anderson & Anderson, 2010). Amplifying the sound make, the audience feels like they are actually seating next to the host. Considering the fact that most of the people in Korea are quite busy during the day and cannot meet people to dine and binge eat with them. The audience find solace in watching their friends eat online and in most case, they watch other eat while they are also eating and in the process, share jokes, and comments on the mukbang chartroom (Hong & Hong, 2018).

Diversification

With the mukbang culture founded on the eating culture, most hosts are urged to diversify the food they eat on the live show as a way for the Korean you tubers to globalize their local contents. For example, with most videos having embedded subtitles, a wide variety of foods and non-Korean viewers, broadcasting n local foods, and contents offer the Koreans people an opportunity to diversify both their source of income and to broadcast their local cuisine. The popularity of the show can also be attributed to the socials media that has enhanced the public sphere and enhanced the community participation in local shows (Koh, 2015). The fact that the content aired on the mukbang shows are user-generated makes it a community engagement platform where everyone is free to stream his meals freely and in return earn some money. The people who stream their meals eventually earn their incomes and considering the economic situation in the country, earning money while enjoying your meals is a major advantage to many who are eventually influenced to join the show either as viewers or as hosts.

MukBang is a part of a story or narrative about the collectivist's culture. With people suffering from a wide range of eating disorders, people are more interested and entertained by the MukBang like shows (Hong & Hong, 2018). Many notes, instructions, and edutainment channels are all passing one message, responsible eating, almost everyone is interested in beating the eating disorders and none is reinforcing the eating disorders. MukBang has gained popularity because it reinforces the eating disorders as it never reinforces the scrutiny over the caloric intakes that the hosts take (WikiVividly, 2018). Most people do not enjoy their meals because of their scrutiny over the caloric intake to the extent that they have lost interest in foods and MukBang is the only channels that induce their cravings for food (Anderson & Anderson, 2010).

Avatars for Personal Gratification

YouTube commentators and fans are condoling the MukBangs shows by commenting on what they would like to see the host at. With many internet users attacking the hosts or trolling them because of their weight, those hosts find YouTube as the best platform for them to engage with other people (Zendegui, West & Zandberg, 2014). The MukBang has been effective in exposing the fundamental tension between food and weight gain. Most people are afraid to eat gluten because it is likened to suicide that the shows exalt ea...