Mukbang, in simple terms, is a live-streamed video where viewers watch the host eat. Mukbang is characterized by the copious amount of food consumed during the streaming – think banquet-size portions, where viewers sit and watch the one-person eating contest unfold. Since the mukbang trend has been going in South Korea since the early 2010s, there are now all kinds of eating “shows” online, including ASMR mukbang (autonomous sensory meridian response), which taps into the trend of streamers recording noises and sounds that make us “feel” something as we watch – think slurps, loud chewing, crunching, and all those sounds that come hand-in-hand with enjoying a good meal.

Other popular kinds of mukbang include: 

• Interviews and collaboration mukbangs, where the streamer or YouTuber invites a guest onto their channel to join in on the mukbang. Even rapper Megan Thee Stallion recorded her own mukbang for YouTube, using the trend as promo for her new hot sauce. 
• Storytime mukbang, where the streamer introduces a completely separate topic as they eat, telling an engaging story, from real life events to YouTube gossip, and even (controversially) true crime.

Watching others eat is hardly anything new – but mukbang is a little different to the average show you’d catch on the Food Network. In South Korea, the trend’s host country, eating out and socializing with others is a big deal, so some speculate that one of the reasons mukbang gained popularity was through viewers tuning in to help recreate the social aspect of dining.

Another large draw lies in the large quantities of food that they consume. The average person will never wolf down a 20,000 calorie meal, but through mukbang, they can easily watch someone else do so – just like watching a classic hot dog eating contest. Mukbang videos could, on some level, also serve to satisfy food cravings. Other viewers may enjoy the sensations of food they get through the noisier, ASMR aspect of the videos.

When did they rise in popularity?

The idea that gave birth to the World Wide Web in the 1980s, which later became famously known as WWW, went on to irreversibly dominate the lives of those who use it in the current scenario. Today, people use the Internet for a wide variety of tasks, each of which is determined by the requirements of the user, such as giving or taking advice, learning new languages, participating in dramatics, online gaming, online gambling, cooking, socializing, and many other activities. Over the course of the last decade, the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, among others, has seen enormous growth in popularity. It has been observed that YouTube is the platform that has the most users among the others. One of the studies found that approximately 75% of adults and 94% of young adults in the United States of America spend up to three hours on YouTube on a weekly basis. Studies have shown that problematic or excessive Internet use can cause marked functional derangement, which in turn lowers the quality of life of a human being. It has been observed that a person will engage in such online activities when they are unable to satisfy their offline needs. These online activities offer the users instant gratification and, as a result, “escapism” from the realities of everyday life. Mukbang is one of these trends that has gained popularity online in recent years. Mukbang is an online show in which a broadcast jockey eats food while interacting with viewers. It has become a popular form of entertainment because it can alleviate feelings of isolation by creating the impression of a communal meal, it can make one feel full without the consumption of potentially harmful foods, and it has a calming effect on the mind as well. Despite this, many aspects of mukbang have been shown to have a negative impact on its audience, leading to issues such as obesity, overeating, multiple eating disorders, the belief that there is a negative correlation between the amount of food consumed and leanness, and poor table manners.

Through the community and sub-communities that have been made through mukbang videos, people have been able to share their identity through different platforms to connect with others. Mukbang started as a community to help people feel a connection to others when eating.

Mukbang, which translates to eating broadcast, is a trend that began in South Korea in 2010 and started to spread globally around 2014. Mukbang began as a response to many Koreans feeling alone when eating. In Korea, dining is a social activity that is done with others. With many Koreans living alone and increasing loneliness in this digital age, they started doing live streams of them eating and talking about their day. The start of mukbangs was with live streams on a Korean platform called AfreecaTV because it allowed users to connect with the person leaving comments in real-time, asking them questions, or telling them to mix certain foods.

Mukbang videos have become an increasingly popular way of earning money on YouTube. This fame does not come without controversy. Mukbangers have been accused of faking their mukbangs and utilizing their large platforms for profits without true efforts. Some mukbangers appear thin despite eating generous portions in front of their audience and have thus been suspected of editing their videos and cutting out footage of swallowing food. Meesh La, a popular mukbanger, was accused of not eating in her videos as footage of her swallowing foods rarely appeared. Additionally, in one of Nikocado Avocado’s videos, he supposedly finishes 10 packs of nuclear fire noodles in the span of just 14 minutes, a scary “accomplishment.” Soon after, fans began to speculate whether Nikocado actually ate the noodles due to footage of him swallowing the food in his mukbang videos being omitted. Mukabang controversies are especially destructive for mukbangers because they make their living off of eating and being accused of not eating essentially indicates that audiences do not believe they are doing their job. Thus, it is easy for these mukbangers to become “canceled” and quit making videos altogether. Making content behind a screen can accommodate a mukbanger’s desire to conceal reality, but it is, in fact, difficult for them to regain audiences’ trust after rumors and evidence emerge. These controversies, however, do little to get in the way of audience appreciation of mukbangs.

Even with past controversies and accusations, mukbang videos connect viewers and emphasize the importance of shared meals that are often lost to busy schedules and stressful workloads. Meals are often a time of conversation and family bonding, for other times of the day may be piled with appointments, school, work, etc. Home is also associated with having meals because one usually eats in a familiar environment with those they care for. Think of eating while watching a mukbang video as a facetime date; you eat your meal while watching your date do the same and hear them talk about their life or piping tea in the media. You get to know them better and just having some company can easily subdue loneliness and anguish.

What health effects mukbangs have on young people?

The act of sharing a meal with other people, whether they be members of one’s own family or friends, is regarded as one of the most significant ways of connecting and socializing with other beings in many different cultures around the world. The term “communal feasting” has its origins in a time period that spans approximately 12,000 years ago. The people who watch live eating competitions, also known as mukbang, are typically solitary individuals. The negative emotion of loneliness in people who live apart from one another which they experience while eating is a major factor that has contributed to the rise in demand for eating shows which focus on binge eating. According to the findings of a survey that was carried out in the United Kingdom, 15% of the viewers have not shared a meal with a member of their family in the preceding half year. It has come to light in recent times that there has been a significant increase in the number of people who live by themselves; in the United States, the number of people who live alone has increased by a factor of five since the 1960s.

Tragedy struck the mukbang community recently when Pan Xiaoting, a 24-year-old extreme eater, died during a live video. Reports reveal that she was participating in an extreme eating challenge that lasted 10 hours when her stomach ruptured, causing her untimely death. This heartbreaking incident is a reminder of the extreme lengths some influencers will go to for views and likes. It’s a wake-up call to the dangers of turning eating into a performance art where the stakes are disturbingly high.

Mukbang’s appeal is understandable. There’s something oddly comforting about watching someone indulge in food, especially when they’re engaging and personable. It’s a form of escapism, a way to experience culinary delights vicariously. But when the quest for internet fame pushes people to consume dangerous amounts of food, it’s clear that this trend has taken a perilous turn.

The health risks associated with mukbang are significant. Consuming vast quantities of food in one sitting can lead to severe gastrointestinal issues, metabolic disturbances, and even fatal outcomes, as tragically demonstrated. The pressure to outdo previous performances or rival influencers can drive mukbangers to ignore these risks, prioritizing their audience’s entertainment over their well-being. Moreover, there’s a psychological toll. Constantly eating massive amounts of food for an audience can lead to disordered eating habits and an unhealthy relationship with food. The line between content creation and self-destruction becomes dangerously blurred.

According to the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, the quantity of food eaten by mukbangers is so large that it can distort an audience’s perception of what is deemed as an appropriate portion. Additionally, it can push individuals to change their food selection to foods similar to mukbangs, normalizing large amounts of food and low-nutritional, high calorie foods.

Mukbang is a form of entertainment that comes with a cost, specifically, the health risks implicated for the observers and the content creators themselves.

Here are some of the hazards associated with this notorious trend:

• Digestive issues. Consuming large unhealthy meals in one setting can be detrimental to your digestive health and cause long-term gastrointestinal problems like bloating and stomach pain.
• Weight gain. Excessive eating of high-caloric food can contribute to unhealthy weight gain and becoming overweight or obese, leading to health issues like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Financial implications. Purchasing ample amounts of food for a mukbang video or by spectators trying to replicate these habits can be financially straining. This is marked for creators who rely on ad revenues but may be unsuccessful in their content creation.
• Psychological impacts. In addition to the promotion of unhealthy eating and possibly encouraging eating disorders, studies have exposed a link between mukbang and amplified internet addiction.

Are people putting themselves in danger?

Chinese content creator Pan Xiaoting died from a suspected stomach tear, after consuming some 122lb (1.5 stone) of food. Her stomach had become severely deformed and filled with undigested food, according to autopsy results, suggesting that her stomach could have burst, causing stomach acid and food to leak into her abdomen.

Xiaoting was famous in China because of her live streams, during which she would eat massive amounts of sea food and chocolate cake among other items on camera. It has been reported that she was once hospitalised after suffering gastric bleeding from overeating. But it is believed she returned to binging on food just one day after being discharged from the hospital.

Xiaoting is not the first creator who lost their life at a tragically young age as a result of eating for views. In January 2023, TikTok star Taylor Brice LeJeune (known online as Waffler69), who had some 1.7 million followers on the platform, died from a suspected heart attack. Taylor, who was just 33-years-old at the time of his death, was known for his quirky food review videos, in which he would consume novelty foods as well as expired groceries, including promotional Addams Family cereal from the 90s. Large quantities of canned cheeseburgers and a giant Froot Loop were among the foods he consumed online.

Mukbang has been criticized for promoting unhealthy eating habits, as hosts often consume large quantities of high-calorie foods. In fact 18.4% of Mukbang videos showed the consumption of instant foods such as ramen, and 2.7% of them included alcohol along with eating food. Viewers may be tempted to copy the host’s eating habits, leading to weight gain or other health problems. Critics argue that this can create a dangerous and unhealthy relationship with food, as viewers may feel compelled to eat more than they need or to eat foods that are high in calories, sugar, and fat. The trend has been criticized for its potential to cause serious health problems such as obesity and diabetes.

Mukbang has also been criticized for promoting food waste, as hosts often prepare more food than they can eat, and some viewers may feel compelled to purchase more food than they need in order to participate in the experience. This can lead to food waste, which is both environmentally and economically detrimental. Additionally, some critics argue that this can perpetuate negative stereotypes about certain cultures, and can create a culture of overconsumption and excess. This has become such a big problem, that some governments are clamping down on Mukbang eating influencers.

Many people enjoy Mukbang videos for the entertainment value and the sense of community they provide. But as with any online trend, there are also concerns that parents should be aware of. One concern is that Mukbang can promote unhealthy eating habits, especially for children and young adults who may be impressionable. The consumption of large quantities of food in a short period of time can lead to overeating and poor nutrition. Additionally, some Mukbang videos feature high-calorie, high-fat foods, which can contribute to weight gain and other health problems.

Another concern is that Mukbang can be a source of negative body image for viewers, particularly young girls and women. The pressure to eat large amounts of food and the focus on appearance can contribute to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. It’s important for parents to be aware of these concerns and to have open and honest conversations with their children about the potential risks of Mukbang. Encourage healthy eating habits, and remind children that the lifestyles depicted in Mukbang videos may not be realistic or healthy. Additionally, there is a study from “Culture Medicine and Psychiatry” which found that regular consumption of Mukbang videos is associated with disordered eating behaviors and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress.