Blog Post #6 | Cherilene Guzman

  1. In the “Love” episode of Ways of Seeing, Krukowski lays out the argument that digital sound does not provide the same full presentation of the human voice as analog microphones. He mentions the idea that there is a certain intimacy that you can only have with analog and that, “The sound of our voice has gotten worse as we have switched to digital.” While I do agree with this idea to a certain extent, I believe there is a different type of intimacy that can be found through digital microphones. With analog phones, you are very aware you are on the phone. You often had to keep the landline to your ear to hear what the other person was saying. On digital phones, you can put your device on speakerphone, close your eyes, and imagine that the person is just right next to you. While the quality might not be as good, you still can have an intimate conversation while feeling like the person is not a million miles away. 
  2. In the New York Times article “How A.S.M.R. Became a Sensation”, I found the idea that A.S.M.R. belongs “to a general complex of safety, caring, connectedness and trust” the most interesting. When A.S.M.R. became quite popular, I never understood the concept. I found some of the sounds satisfying, but I never went out of my way to search for videos. The idea that people are so drawn to A.S.M.R. because some of the sounds are ways that adults soothe infants is a fascinating take from a psychological standpoint. It is interesting to note that this is a way of comfort for people and a possible fill for intimacy that they lack in their everyday lives. 

8 thoughts on “Blog Post #6 | Cherilene Guzman”

  1. Yingxin Tan

    I agree with you. ASMR’s sounds can make people feel comfortable, relaxed and calm. But I don’t have an intracranial orgasm from these sounds when I watch these kinds of videos. I don’t understand this concept too.

    1. Alexis Calderon

      Haha I actually do experience the “tingles” when listening to ASMR (for me it feels like someone is lightly tapping their fingers against my forehead) but I don’t really enjoy watching ASMR videos. Ever since childhood I remember experiencing this phenomena!

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