The latest trend on ASMR YouTube is (obviously) POV coronavirus testing videos where vloggers cosplay as nurses/doctors and ‘test’ viewers for the deadly virus.
ASMR, or ‘Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response’ is a tingling sensation that begins on the scalp and typically moves down the back of the head and the spine, and is most commonly caused by specific audio or visual stimuli. Over the past ten years, YouTube videos made with the express purpose of triggering the phenomenon have boomed, and there are now many channels dedicated solely to ASMR.
The latest genre of video to do big numbers in the scene appear to be ones in which YouTubers dress up as nurses or doctors and perform mock coronavirus tests on viewers. ASMR Darling, one of the most popular ASMR channels, has clocked over 1.2 million views on her video titled “ASMR Testing You For Corona Virus”, in which she performs a ‘test’ and debunks some virus myths.
“Hi, my name is doctor darling, pleased to meet you,” she says at the start of the video in a soft whisper, adding: “So I hear you’re not feeling very well, that’s the reason you’re coming in today?” She then runs through some advice on staying safe during the pandemic. A similar video, “I’m giving you a coronavirus vaccine” uploaded by SensorAdi ASMR, has more than 41,000 views at the time of writing. The video’s description reads: “I state that you are a carrier of coronavirus. However, I make a vaccine and apply it. You will definitely feel better in a few days.”
Watch a few coronavirus ASMR videos below to help assuage your virus concerns: