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China’s anti-porn office cracks down on videos of women whispering into microphones
ASMR videos trigger physical response to aural cues
Reading Time:2 minutes
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
Do the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when somebody whispers in your ear?
The sense of relaxation these sounds induce is called autonomous sensory meridian response, or ASMR. And like virtually anything these days, there’s a whole community only dedicated to creating these sounds.
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The videos are basically just people recording themselves whispering inches away from microphones. Sometimes they tap or stroke the microphone, or eat foods that make certain sounds when chewed.
It adds up to an enjoyable audible experience for enthusiasts, who love feeling tingles whizz down their necks while watching these videos.
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But fans in China were dealt a blow last week when the country’s anti-pornography office ordered a number of platforms to remove a lot of ASMR content -- because they say some are akin to softcore porn.
They said that a lot of pornographic content has spread online under the cover of ASMR, and ordered platforms to monitor it more closely.
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