Steffi Faircloth

Bordertown ASMR is an ongoing project based off an internet phenomenon that gained popularity in 2013. ASMR, which stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, is now the third most popular search term on Youtube worldwide. It is usually described as a calming sensation you feel when listening to sounds such as whispering voices, finger tapping, and even eating. Faircloth demonstrates role-play situations and food that embodies her bordertown experiences, and utilizes social media platforms such as Youtube and Reddit, as well as the fast-growing ASMR community as an attempt to put these experiences into the mainstream. Bordertown ASMR is influenced by viral videos in our current digital age, and Faircloth’s generation’s strong involvement in influencer culture. Faircloth seeks to evoke a feeling that was so common among youth in her town: the desire to be represented in popular media, while transcending stereotypes of bordertown life.