Mukbang

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The word mukbang (먹방; meokbang) is a clipped compound or portmanteau of the Korean words for 'eating' (먹는; meongneun) and 'broadcast' (방송; bangsong).^[4]

Prior to the 21st century, Korea had traditionally had a food culture based on healthy eating practices and strict Confucian etiquette.^[11] However, a new food culture since the late 2000s has emerged in South Korea characterized by internet eating culture (mukbang). It was first introduced on the real-time internet TV service AfreecaTV in 2009 and has become a trend on cable channels and terrestrial broadcasting. This form of programming emphasizes the attractiveness of the person who prepares the food. Eating and cooking shows are effective programs for broadcasting companies as production costs are lower than reality entertainment programs.^[12]

The 1982 Danish film 66 Scenes from America contains a scene with a similar concept to the modern mukbang in which artist Andy Warhol eats a Whopper hamburger from the fast food restaurant chain Burger King.

Academics have linked the origins of mukbang in South Korea to widespread feelings of anxiety, loneliness and unhappiness among many South Koreans, driven by the hyper-competitive nature of the country's socioeconomic conditions and society. Consequently, mukbang gives them an opportunity to relieve some of these stressors.^[7]

In each broadcast, a host will interact with their viewers through online chat rooms. Many hosts generate revenue through mukbang by accepting donations or partnering with advertising networks.^[4] The popularity of mukbang streams has spread outside of Korea, with online streamers hosting mukbang in other countries.^[13] In 2016, Twitch introduced new categories like "social eating" to spotlight them.^[14] Articles about mukbang have also appeared in The Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal.^[15] The term "mukbang" has been widely adopted in other types of eating shows, such as those featuring ASMR on YouTube.^[16]

This eating performance from South Korea has also rapidly spread in influence and popularity to other Asian countries, such as Japan and China. In China, mukbang is called "chibo"; hosts make their content into short videos and vlogs and upload them onto social media platforms like Weibo.^[17]

The contrast to the traditional eating culture that revolves around eating from the same communal dishes at the family dinner table has been acknowledged.^[1]

Mukbangs provide a virtual social dining experience that helps alleviate loneliness through creating a sense of companionship for socially isolated individuals who seek connection through shared meal experiences.^[18] The growing popularity of these videos reflects a real social need, as shown by UK statistics where 15% of viewers report not having a shared meal with family members in over six months.^[19]

It has been suggested one can vicariously satisfy the desire for food by viewing.^[20] In Korea, individuals who stream mukbang are called broadcast jockeys (BJs). As a result, high level of interaction BJ-to-viewer and viewer-to-viewer contributes to the sociability aspect of producing and consuming mukbang content. For example, during broadcast jockey Changhyun's interaction with his audience he temporarily paused to follow a fan's directions on what to eat next and how to eat it. Viewers may influence the direction of the stream but the BJ retains control over what he or she eats. Ventriloquism, by which BJs mime the actions of their fans by directing food to the camera in a feeding motion and eating in their stead, is another technique that creates the illusion of a shared experience in one room.^[5]

A study conducted by Seoul National University found that within a two-year time frame (April 2017 to April 2019) the term "mukbang" was used in over 100,000 videos from YouTube. It reported that alleviating the feelings of loneliness associated with eating alone may be the primary reason for mukbang's popularity.^[21] In a pilot study from February 2022 on mukbang watching and mental health, psychologists lay the foundation for future investigation into the potential detriments of using mukbang, or virtual eating, as a substitute for social experiences.^[22] Another reason for mukbang viewing could be its potential sexual appeal. Researchers have argued that mukbangs can be viewed to satisfy eating-related fetishes, and have commented on the sexualized gaze brought about by watching hosts in such a private and intimate state.^[7][1] Other studies argue that individuals who watch mukbang do so for entertainment, as an escape from reality, or to get satisfaction from the ASMR aspects of mukbang such as eating sounds and sensations.^{[7][21][23][24]} Watching mukbang videos often creates an parasocial interaction between the mukbanger and the viewer, and it could also increase the likelihood of solo-dining of viewers.^[25]

A popular sub-genre of the trend is "cook-bang" (쿡방) show, in which the streamer includes the preparation and cooking of the dishes featured as part of the show.^[27]

South Korean video game players have sometimes broadcast mukbang as breaks during their overall streams. The popularity of this practice among local users led the video game streaming service Twitch to begin trialing a dedicated "social eating" category in July 2016; a representative of the service stated that this category is not necessarily specific to mukbang, but would leave the concept open to interpretation by streamers within its guidelines.^[28]

Mukbangers incurring income from such videos can earn from advertising.^[6] This performance of eating can allow top broadcasters to earn as much as $10,000 a month which does not include sponsorships. Live-streaming platforms like AfreecaTV and Twitch allow viewers to send payments to their favorite streamers.^[29]

Creators can also earn income through endorsements, e-books and product reviews. Bethany Gaskin, under the name Bloveslife for her channel, has made over $1 million from advertising on her videos as reported by The New York Times. Popular mukbanger Soo Tang, also known as MommyTang, claimed that successful mukbangers can earn about $100,000 in a year.^[6]

Mukbang can be used positively to promote healthy eating habits and appetites by enhancing taste experiences and relieving stress. This is beneficial to the group who are on bland diets, by preventing the usage of unhealthy food additives. However, the effect depends on the characteristics of the viewers. For example, being the main viewers, young individuals are easily affected. In addition, Mukbang can be an effective physical therapy for individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa, as it can stimulate food intake. Moreover, incorporating nutritional information of food and changing food types in Mukbang can help shape viewers' eating habits. Since Mukbang hosts' behaviors may trigger imitation, avoiding extreme eating behaviors, such as binge eating, can be beneficial to audience's eating behavior as well.^[30]

• Competitive eating – Activity in which participants compete to consume large quantities of food
• Cooking show – Television genre that presents food preparation
• Food competition – Competition between food or drinks
• Food porn – Glorified visual presentation of food