What is Mukbang- Viral Youtube trend in South Korea then multiplied to other countries?

Mukbang is getting viral. Photo: Vocal

What is Mukbang?

The word "mukbang" is literally a combination of two Korean words that translate to Muokda, which is to eat, and Bang Song, which is to broadcast.

These are shows that have taken over YouTube and other online platforms. Apparently, people from across the world have nurtured an appetite for these mundane programs that involve a person gorging on large amounts of food in front of a camera for hours.

Mukbang shows have been around for quite some time now, but the popularity of them began in South Korea in 2011. Today, this trend continues to receive attention from different kinds of people across the world.

Perhaps, all one sees at first glance is pure joy in these videos, but nutrition experts have raised concerns regarding the potential risks of the ongoing trend.

How much do Mukbang YouTubers get paid?

"It really depends on how you use your platform," Soo Tang, whose YouTube channel, MommyTang, has over 496,000 subscribers, told TODAY. Tang, like all of the top YouTubers with monetized videos, takes a share of the ad revenue generated by views. "I'm based in the U.S., so the payout is different from mukbangers in Korea.

"However, once you get popular, you can make close to $100,000 a year here in the U.S. There are many endorsements, e-book and product review payouts."

Another popular American mukbanger, Erik Lamkin, aka Erik the Electric, told TODAY in 2018 that most of his revenue comes from YouTube ads and sponsorships. (Although he said he's never been compensated by Krispy Kreme or In-N-Out Burger, which both frequently appear in his videos.) In South Korea, mukbangers are also able to cash in on digital donations from viewers, with direct money transfers from fans.

Lamkin, whose YouTube video "The All American 'Mukbang'" has over 627,000 views, said it’s hard to put a number on how much money he’s made in the two years since he started mukbanging about once a week. But, he can quantify how it has grown his social following. “I’ve gained about 258,000 subscribers on my YouTube Channel and almost 30,000 followers on Instagram,” said the 26-year-old who is based in California and credits cycling and powerlifting for maintaining his 180-pound weight. Now, he's amassed 1.28 million YouTube subscribers and 135,000 Instagram followers, according to Today.com.

Is Mukbang dangerous?

Mukbang may promote overeating

The mass amounts of food seen in these shows usually stuck a joyous chord in people, simply because of how appetizing everything is. This increases the concern of whether or not the people behind these mukbangs are promoting binge eating or overeating.

Mukbang may cause people to acquire poor eating habits

Photo: Korea Times

Just like what has been mentioned above, mukbang, according to researchers, may lead to irresistible overeating. In support of this statement, studies suggest that it takes an average of 21 days for a person to form a habit.

Participating in mukbangs will certainly create negative eating habits because the large portions of unhealthy meals in these videos like ramen noodles, fried chicken, pizza and so on, means having poorer nutrition and health.

Mukbangs help destroy the barriers attached to diet culture. People need to open an eye to these disordered eating patterns, as Medical Daily reported.

5 Mukbang Youtube Channels to Binge Watch

KEEMI

Photo: Youtube

With over 400K subscribers, this Korean-American YouTuber creates what I think of as "classic" mukbang videos. Many of her videos begin with her showing how to cook popular Korean recipes and following up by eating it while casually chatting to the audience.

Erik TheElectric

Photo: TubeFilter

If you're a fan of crazy food challenge videos, Erik TheElectric is a must watch. He takes challenges to the extreme such as elevating the original "10,000 calorie challenge" to 50,000 calories.

MommyTang

Photo: Pinterest

This one goes out to all my fellow vegans; MommyTang is no different when it comes to the casual sit-down eating videos other than being plant-based. Her videos showcase the side of veganism that most people don't understand, the side that allows you to still gorge on fast food and other comfort foods.

Matt Stonie

Photo: Vidmo

Another channel for all you extreme challenge lovers out there. I know I mentioned I usually find it hard watching these kinds of videos, but the ambition of this guy actually astounds me more than anything. I just find it crazy that he often manages to actually finish everything he sets out to, as cited by SpoonUniversity.

Wendy's Eating Show

Photo: Twitter

This girl knows how to take regular foods to the next level. Popular for her videos on Hot Cheetos encrusted foods, Wendy's videos are a great go-to for the times you find yourself craving extreme junk food. I'm not even a fan of Hot Cheetos but I find myself watching all the videos in this series as I find them so inventive and intriguing.

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