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Muk-bang

Mukbang
Muk-bang video.jpg
A thumbnail for a muk-bang YouTube video
Hangul 먹방
Hanja
Revised Romanization Meokbang
McCune–Reischauer Mŏkpang
IPA [mʌ̹k̚p͈aːŋ]
Also known as Muk-bang

Mukbang or Meokbang (Hangul먹방; lit. "eating broadcast") is an online broadcast in which a host eats large quantities of food while interacting with their audience. Usually done through a webcast (such streaming platforms include Afreeca), mukbang became popular in South Korea in the 2010s. Foods ranging from pizza to noodles are consumed in front of a camera for an internet audience (who pay or not, depending on which platform one is watching).

In each broadcast, a host will often interact with their viewers through online chatrooms. With the rising popularity of these eating shows, the host would find lucrative ways of benefiting from the online show. Many hosts generate revenue through mukbang, by accepting donations or partnering with advertising networks.

The word mukbang comes from the Korean words for "eating" (; meokneun) and "broadcast" (; bangsong).

Other genres of mukbang include "cook-bang" (cooking and eating) shows. The idea of socializing with an audience remains the same however, the host would then eat what was cooked and describe to the audience what was consumed.

Korean video game players have sometimes broadcast mukbang as breaks during their overall streams. The popularity of this practice among local users led the video game streaming service Twitch.tv to begin trialling a dedicated "Social eating" category in July 2016; a representative of the service stated that this category is not necessarily specific to mukbang, but would leave the concept open to interpretation by streamers within its guidelines.

The exact date for the first mukbang is unclear. Mukbang began in 2008 through various media platforms on the Internet, such as AfreecaTV. Mukbang became famous among the younger generation who are the main consumers of internet broadcasting shows.

There are several explanations given by various scholars. Jeff Yang, an Asian-American cultural critic and senior vice president of the global research firm Kantar Futures, said that mukbang had its origins in “the loneliness of unmarried or uncoupled Koreans, in addition to the inherently social aspect of eating in Korea” during the interview with Quartz.

Kim-Hae Jin, Ph.D candidate from Choson University, argued that one can vicariously satisfy the desire for the food. The hosts, who call themselves BJs (Broadcast Jockeys), interact with the people who are watching the broadcast through chatting. BJs sometimes claim to be the audience's “avatar” and will exactly follow what people ask them to do.


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