Compensatory Usage of the Internet: The Case of Mukbang Watching on YouTube

The mediating effect of internet addiction and the moderating effect of physical activity on the relationship between alexithymia and depression

There is a certain relationship between alexithymia and depression, but further investigation is needed to explore their underlying mechanisms. The aims of this study was to explore the mediating role of internet addiction between alexithymia and depression and the moderating role of physical activity. A total of 594 valid responses were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 18.72 years (SD = 1.09). The sample comprised 250 males (42.09%) and 344 females (57.91%). These responses were utilized for descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and the development of mediation and moderation models. Alexithymia showed positive correlations with depression and internet addiction, and physical activity was negatively correlated with internet addiction and depression. Internet addiction partially mediated the relationship between alexithymia and depression, while physical activity weakened the association between internet addiction and depression, acting as a moderator. Our findings suggest that excessive Internet engagement may mediate the relationship between alexithymia and depression as an emotional regulatory coping strategy, and that physical activity attenuates the predictive effect of Internet addiction on depression.

The Spectrum of Motivations Behind Watching Mukbang Videos and Its Health Effects on Its Viewers: A Review

Mukbang are videos in which individuals record themselves while eating a specific kind of food (typically food that is low in nutrition) and chit-chatting with the audience through virtual comments about their everyday lives. Since the beginning of this decade, mukbang videos have been gaining popularity all over the world, thanks to the growing popularity of online social media platforms, in particular YouTube. Since a limited number of studies have been carried out to investigate the motivations and effects of watching mukbang on its audience, the purpose of this review article is to analyze the existing body of research on mukbang and to shed light on myriads of the motivation behind watching mukbang videos and its health effects on its viewers. With the help of this review article, we want to bring attention to the importance of conducting high-quality research in this field so that medical professionals are aware of the motivations behind watching these videos and the conditions that may be associated with it. The motivations behind watching mukbang videos cannot be completely categorized into being positive or negative, since it depends on its usage by the viewers. Watching mukbang is significantly more prevalent among young adults. Mukbang offers digital commensality, entertainment, a para-social effect, escapism from real-life issues, and the opportunity for sexual use. On the other hand, excessive use of mukbang has been linked to a wide variety of health problems, including obesity and eating disorders. Since a limited amount of research has been conducted on mukbang, there is a pressing need to place emphasis on the phenomenon of mukbang, and clinicians should be made aware of mukbang in order to facilitate the diagnosis of conditions that are linked to it.

Associations between mukbang viewing and disordered eating behaviors

OBJECTIVE

Mukbang videos are a popular cultural phenomenon that often feature a host consuming large amounts of food to entertain an audience. We aim to examine the relationship between mukbang viewing characteristics and eating disorders symptoms.

METHODS

Eating disorder symptoms were evaluated using the eating disorders examination-questionnaire. Frequency of mukbang viewing, average watch time per occasion, tendency to eat while watching mukbang, and problematic mukbang viewing (using the Mukbang Addiction Scale) were assessed. We used multivariable regressions to estimate associations between mukbang viewing characteristics and eating disorder symptoms, adjusting for gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, and BMI. We used social media to recruit adults who watched mukbang at least once during the past year (n = 264).

RESULTS

A total of 34% of participants reported watching mukbang daily or almost daily, with mean watch time per viewing session being 29.94 min (SD = 1.00). Eating disorder symptoms, especially binge eating and purging, were associated with greater problematic mukbang viewing and a tendency to not consume food while viewing mukbang. Participants with greater body dissatisfaction watched mukbang more frequently and were more likely to eat while watching mukbang, yet they scored lower on the Mukbang Addiction Scale and watched fewer average minutes of mukbang per viewing occasion.

DISCUSSION

In a world increasingly penetrated by online media, our findings linking mukbang viewing and disordered eating may inform clinical diagnoses and treatments of eating disorders. Future studies establishing directionality of the relationship between mukbang viewing behaviors and eating disorder pathology are warranted.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

Mukbang videos often feature a host consuming large amounts of food. Using a questionnaire assessing mukbang viewing behaviors and disordered eating pathology, we found associations between certain viewing habits and disordered eating symptoms. Given the health consequences of eating disorders and potentially problematic consequences of certain online media, this study can inform clinical understanding of individuals with disordered eating who engage in certain online media, like mukbang.

Digital Forms of Commensality in the 21st Century: A Scoping Review

The social act of eating together has been influenced and mediated by technologies in recent decades. This phenomenon has been investigated in different academic fields, but the topic is still in an incipient dimension, and there is a lack of consensus regarding terminology and definitions. The study aimed to characterize the main scientific findings regarding digital forms of commensality in the 21st century and to identify possible relationships between these practices and public health. A scoping review was conducted to identify papers published in different languages between 2001 and 2021. A total of 104 publications that combined commensality and technology in all contexts were included. Most studies were qualitative; from the Design and Technology field; used social media and video platforms or prototypes/augmented reality gadgets; and used different terms to refer to digital forms of commensality, allowing the analysis of the construction of field definitions over time. The intersections with health were observed from impacts on family/community engagement, culinary skills development, and mental health and eating habits. These practices also structured specific social interactions, such as virtual food communities and commensality, during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper indicates the consistent growth of these practices and recommends the development of future research for theoretically and longitudinally deeper evaluations of the impacts of these new ways of eating together, especially regarding their effects on human health.