Squishy toys and in the feed: Squeeze the butter

Something is wrong with my algorithm. Every other video in my feed is about the same thing: long fingernails kneading something. Mostly so-called squishy toys that look like a block of butter - many of which are covered in wax. The whole thing falls under the category of ASMR, a trend that is already known but one that I have never frequented.

ASMR stands for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response,” a pleasant tingling sensation that trickles from the scalp down the back of the neck when you hear whispering, crackling or kneading. The clips help many people to fall asleep better or to wind down.

It hasn't caught my attention yet. What did the algorithm find out about me that I don't yet know? In my mid-thirties, have I fallen into a target group that urgently needs comfort from the smartphone? Admittedly, they calm my otherwise perhaps escalating life fomo. The videos also remind me a little of the escapist content during the pandemic. Is the (political) situation that bad again?

Anyone who watches a fingernail work its way through wax gets something that is rarely available otherwise: an action with a clear beginning, a clear end and a predictable result. No cliffhanger, no news situation, no opinion to have. In times of superimposed crises, the appeal may lie in small, controllable moments in which nothing happens except what you see and hear.

However, there is still discomfort. Platforms deserve attention, whether it's good for me doesn't matter. Calmness is just as usable as excitement: content that requires nothing and can be repeated endlessly keeps people in the feed. The algorithm noticed that I no longer scroll away from these videos. Maybe the more honest question is not what he knows about me, but what I allow him to decide for me. Until I answer it, I'll watch another video. Just one. And maybe one more.