"I wish I could clean my life the way this man cleans this rug": Embodied spectatorship and the aesthetics of pleasure in 'oddly satisfying' content

The short-form video format of social media favors content that quickly elicits a pleasurable viewing experience (Liu et al., 2021); thus, the production and display of pleasurable visual imagery is highly encouraged. This study investigates how a specific type of content, known as oddly satisfying content, caters to the spectating body. I explore the aesthetics of pleasure: audio-visual aesthetics, media technologies, and platform logics. Furthermore, I discuss how viewers engage in embodied spectatorship (Nielsen & Bork-Petersen, 2022; Balevičiūtė, 2015; Ryberg, 2015). With this contribution, I hope to address the new visualities created in the context of social media consumption and explore emerging forms of spectatorship.

The ‘oddly satisfying’ content refers to a genre of digital content that elicits a unique and unexpected sense of pleasure, gratification, or relief in viewers through visual, auditory, or tactile stimuli. Platforms such as Instagram (reels), TikTok, and YouTube (Shorts) display oddly satisfying content. Obviously related to ASMR, this genre often features videos or images that showcase repetitive, rhythmic, or precisely executed actions, resulting in satisfying and harmonious outcomes. Examples of oddly satisfying content may include videos of items fitting perfectly into spaces, intricate patterns being created, kinetic sand cutting, paint being mixed in a mesmerizing manner, the encounter of different textures such as oozing slime being mixed with sparkling pearls, or the meticulous completion of a task with satisfactory precision, or even rug cleaning and lawn mowing.

In my analysis of 'oddly satisfying' content, my aim is to explore these instances as meticulously crafted engagements with materials designed to evoke pleasure. I intend to delve into the interaction between the content and its audience by examining how viewers experience these visually satisfying images. To comprehend spectators' responses, I will closely examine the comments section, focusing on the pleasurable, sensory, and emotional reactions triggered by these encounters. The theoretical framework for this study draws inspiration from aesthetic visual theory in film studies, specifically emphasizing the concepts of the gaze (e.g. Mulvey, 1975), the haptic (e.g. Marks, 2002), and sensoric imagery (Fausing, and insights from studies related to the depiction of pleasure, akin to those explored in porn studies (e.g. Paasonen, 2011)).

Engaging in the study of oddly satisfying content presents an opportunity to contribute with insights into the evolving landscape of entertainment consumption. This study aims to unveil novel ways in which users interact with digital content, emphasizing embodied experience over other forms of engagement. It explores the development from traditional modes of entertainment consumption to a more bodily and sensory-driven form of engagement. This study recognizes that oddly satisfying content taps into a multisensory experience, involving visual, auditory, and tactile elements that bypass traditional forms of entertainment.