The mystery of mukbang
Why do millions of people go online to watch total strangers binge-eat junk food?
What's the fascination with watching total strangers eat plate after plate of junk food? Is it a grotesque and irresponsible spectacle, or could it be a way to tackle loneliness, and even help some deal with their own food issues? Graihagh Jackson finds out what's fuelling the internet craze 'mukbang' and asks what it says about our attitudes to food and each other.
An avid mukbang watcher explains how it gives her emotional and social connections she's lacking in her offline life, and also helps her resist the urge to eat foods she shouldn't. Performer Moxie Beast describes how she amplifies the sounds of her crunching and chewing to soothe her viewers, and how she tries to stay healthy while doing it.
In South Korea, where mukbang started, we hear how mukbang is helping to forge digital communities at a time when many, especially the young, are living alone. Plus, a clinical psychiatrist talks us through his latest research into the links between mukbang and eating disorders.
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- Thu 19 Mar 2020 02:32GMT大象传媒 World Service West and Central Africa
- Thu 19 Mar 2020 03:32GMT大象传媒 World Service Europe and the Middle East
- Thu 19 Mar 2020 04:32GMT大象传媒 World Service Online & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Thu 19 Mar 2020 05:32GMT大象传媒 World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean, South Asia & East Asia only
- Thu 19 Mar 2020 11:32GMT大象传媒 World Service except West and Central Africa
- Thu 19 Mar 2020 18:32GMT大象传媒 World Service Australasia
- Thu 19 Mar 2020 21:32GMT大象传媒 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Thu 19 Mar 2020 23:32GMT大象传媒 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Sun 22 Mar 2020 08:32GMT大象传媒 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Sun 22 Mar 2020 17:32GMT大象传媒 World Service
- Mon 23 Mar 2020 01:32GMT大象传媒 World Service Australasia, East and Southern Africa, South Asia, News Internet & East Asia only
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