Cute cats, delicious recipes, calming music, and cooking ASMR. What more could you want from a YouTube channel? JunsKitchen has accumulated over five million subscribers doing just that, with only 29 videos uploaded. He depicts the serenity of his life as he picks vegetables from his own garden, chops meat in his perfectly clean kitchen, and poses his food in front of his well-trained cats. His audience can be described in many ways: as cat lovers and as aspiring chefs; however, each viewer is similar in that they watch JunsKitchen as a form of escapism in order to relax. They seek a peaceful viewing experience outside of their hectic lives, and this YouTube channel provides that for them. Whether the video is focused on him making dinner or on his cats, viewers come to his channel knowing that a theme of serenity will be upheld each time. No drama like other YouTube channels; just pure bliss.
One specific video where this can be seen is JunsKitchen’s video called “Japanese Katsu Curry (Pork Cutlet)” (JunsKitchen, 2020). It amassed over four million views and has 224,000 likes. In this video, he starts his journey by buying locally grown rice, taking his time to record all of the beautiful views around him. He then goes back to his house and plucks fresh vegetables from his home garden. Finally, he begins showing us his recipe for Japanese pork katsu curry. In case you are worried, no, he did not forget to include his cats in this video. They are just as adorable as always.
JunsKitchen shoots this YouTube video in a calm way, using steady camera shots that create a feeling of easiness. There is no rush in this video; he takes his time to capture the gentle breeze blowing amongst the flowers and chops his vegetables swiftly yet still in a relaxed manner. His face is never in the focus of his video, though, as he coaxes viewers into paying attention to his surroundings such as his neat kitchen and the paws of his cats on the counter, furthering an air of relaxation. As viewers, we are told to immerse ourselves in the sounds of his knife perfectly slicing through ingredients and the gentle background music that he makes sure to add in. It has all of the elements a viewer needs to escape their work.
Through this video and its style, though, it is easy to see his deliberate construction of a persona and how he maintains this in his status as a microcelebrity. JunsKitchen specifically only broadcasts the “neat” parts of his life in this video: his well-behaved cats, his kitchen set-up, his well-trimmed home garden, and more. Everything is perfect. He is able to control what he presents to the public, crafting a “carefully constructed persona…[that is] primarily textual, visual, or in video” (Marwick, 2015, pp. 338) through his YouTube channel in general. This persona is definitely well-maintained, and you can see it in his viewers’ comments on this video. JunsKitchens’ viewers constantly rave about how “wholesome” he is and even posit that he does not cry when cutting onions because, rather, “onions cry because they’re honored to be chosen by him” (JunsKitchen, 2020). With his style and content in this video, he has successfully entrenched the visage of a perfect and clean life in his wide-reaching audience, whether they are one-time watchers or committed subscribers, that other microcelebrities can only dream of.
Entangled in his depiction of a perfect and peaceful life, JunsKitchen does not forget to include opportunities for capital gain via links to buy his merch and the exact products that he uses in his video. While it may not be as expressly stated as other YouTubers, JunsKitchen participates in advertorials, a sort of advertisement where influencers “personally experience [a product] and advertise [it]” (Abidin, 2015). Marveled by how well his knives cut into that bell pepper in this recipe? Lucky for you, there is a link for that! Not only does JunsKitchen use steady, close-up shots of him cooking his pork katsu to create a calm environment, but he also uses it in order to force viewers to stare at the very tools that he can profit off of you buying. It can be tempting to buy into the idea that having some of the same tools as him can bring more peace and semblance to your own life, too, allowing you to also make the perfect pork katsu curry. He even advertises the very equipment that he films with, down to the lens of the camera itself, in the description of this video. While his channel and this video can be a great source for escapism, it is very important to note how his status of a microcelebrity and as someone who aims to make a living off of videos such as this will always be deliberate in ensuring their success, both popularity-wise and monetarily.
While JunsKitchen’s channel and his video entailing his pork katsu curry recipe are definitely great sources for enjoyment and relaxation, it is always important to discuss the tenets of capitalism that are pervasive within it. With over five million subscribers, he continues to solidify a space for himself in the YouTuber community. He purposely puts up a well-crafted facade in order to secure this space and does so while also monetizing his videos via advertorials. Despite this, he seems to be a creator with good intentions, spreading joy for the many people that click on his videos. Just like the rest of his viewers and subscribers, I can only hope that his cats are here to stay.
References
Abidin, C. (2015, November 1). Communicative ❤ intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness. Journal of Gender, New Media, & Technology 8. https://adanewmedia.org/2015/11/issue8-abidin/
JunsKitchen. (2020, October 19). Japanese Katsu Curry (Pork Cutlet). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaT_rLGuUr8&ab_channel=JunsKitchen
Marwick, A. (2015). You may know me from YouTube: (Micro)-celebrity in social media Download You may know me from YouTube: (Micro)-celebrity in social media. Pp. 333-350 in A Companion to Celebrity, edited by P. David Marshall and Sean Redmond. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
One specific video where this can be seen is JunsKitchen’s video called “Japanese Katsu Curry (Pork Cutlet)” (JunsKitchen, 2020). It amassed over four million views and has 224,000 likes. In this video, he starts his journey by buying locally grown rice, taking his time to record all of the beautiful views around him. He then goes back to his house and plucks fresh vegetables from his home garden. Finally, he begins showing us his recipe for Japanese pork katsu curry. In case you are worried, no, he did not forget to include his cats in this video. They are just as adorable as always.
JunsKitchen shoots this YouTube video in a calm way, using steady camera shots that create a feeling of easiness. There is no rush in this video; he takes his time to capture the gentle breeze blowing amongst the flowers and chops his vegetables swiftly yet still in a relaxed manner. His face is never in the focus of his video, though, as he coaxes viewers into paying attention to his surroundings such as his neat kitchen and the paws of his cats on the counter, furthering an air of relaxation. As viewers, we are told to immerse ourselves in the sounds of his knife perfectly slicing through ingredients and the gentle background music that he makes sure to add in. It has all of the elements a viewer needs to escape their work.
Through this video and its style, though, it is easy to see his deliberate construction of a persona and how he maintains this in his status as a microcelebrity. JunsKitchen specifically only broadcasts the “neat” parts of his life in this video: his well-behaved cats, his kitchen set-up, his well-trimmed home garden, and more. Everything is perfect. He is able to control what he presents to the public, crafting a “carefully constructed persona…[that is] primarily textual, visual, or in video” (Marwick, 2015, pp. 338) through his YouTube channel in general. This persona is definitely well-maintained, and you can see it in his viewers’ comments on this video. JunsKitchens’ viewers constantly rave about how “wholesome” he is and even posit that he does not cry when cutting onions because, rather, “onions cry because they’re honored to be chosen by him” (JunsKitchen, 2020). With his style and content in this video, he has successfully entrenched the visage of a perfect and clean life in his wide-reaching audience, whether they are one-time watchers or committed subscribers, that other microcelebrities can only dream of.
Entangled in his depiction of a perfect and peaceful life, JunsKitchen does not forget to include opportunities for capital gain via links to buy his merch and the exact products that he uses in his video. While it may not be as expressly stated as other YouTubers, JunsKitchen participates in advertorials, a sort of advertisement where influencers “personally experience [a product] and advertise [it]” (Abidin, 2015). Marveled by how well his knives cut into that bell pepper in this recipe? Lucky for you, there is a link for that! Not only does JunsKitchen use steady, close-up shots of him cooking his pork katsu to create a calm environment, but he also uses it in order to force viewers to stare at the very tools that he can profit off of you buying. It can be tempting to buy into the idea that having some of the same tools as him can bring more peace and semblance to your own life, too, allowing you to also make the perfect pork katsu curry. He even advertises the very equipment that he films with, down to the lens of the camera itself, in the description of this video. While his channel and this video can be a great source for escapism, it is very important to note how his status of a microcelebrity and as someone who aims to make a living off of videos such as this will always be deliberate in ensuring their success, both popularity-wise and monetarily.
While JunsKitchen’s channel and his video entailing his pork katsu curry recipe are definitely great sources for enjoyment and relaxation, it is always important to discuss the tenets of capitalism that are pervasive within it. With over five million subscribers, he continues to solidify a space for himself in the YouTuber community. He purposely puts up a well-crafted facade in order to secure this space and does so while also monetizing his videos via advertorials. Despite this, he seems to be a creator with good intentions, spreading joy for the many people that click on his videos. Just like the rest of his viewers and subscribers, I can only hope that his cats are here to stay.
References
Abidin, C. (2015, November 1). Communicative ❤ intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness. Journal of Gender, New Media, & Technology 8. https://adanewmedia.org/2015/11/issue8-abidin/
JunsKitchen. (2020, October 19). Japanese Katsu Curry (Pork Cutlet). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaT_rLGuUr8&ab_channel=JunsKitchen
Marwick, A. (2015). You may know me from YouTube: (Micro)-celebrity in social media Download You may know me from YouTube: (Micro)-celebrity in social media. Pp. 333-350 in A Companion to Celebrity, edited by P. David Marshall and Sean Redmond. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Hey Madison, I love JunsKitchen and am glad you decided to write about him! I always watch his videos when they are on the trending page, which is pretty much every time he posts. His tutorials are well-shot, calming, and professional, which definitely attracts a lot of companies to sponsor him. With some microcelebrities, fans are disappointed to see them with certain sponsorships because they seem less authentic, and it reminds people that they are consuming advertisements. Interestingly, Jun creates such a comforting environment that fans are willing consumers and are convinced that buying these products can help them achieve a similar lifestyle. This could be a result of parasocial relations with his audience, as his videos are an “exclusive, intimate exchange” (Marwick, 2015) with his fans. His videos give his viewers a snippet of his life, his home, and his everyday activities; it feels like we are his companions, and spending this much time with him creates a real sense of closeness. Developing these parasocial relationships is a common practice amongst microcelebrities, but Jun does it in a way that is less invasive than most. For example, when I think of parasocial relationships, I think of Logan Paul. He daily vlogs, which is pretty intrusive since he films almost everything that happens during the day. Unsurprisingly, he has a strong fanbase because they see and do everything with him, even though he doesn’t know any of these people. Unsurprisingly, Paul can sell almost any product to his fans because they are so devoted to him. Jun doesn’t seem to have this level of parasocial relations, since he allows us to only see the snippets of his life that are aesthetically pleasing. He sticks to cooking, so his advertorials are limited to kitchenware. While he can’t sell as much, his preservation of privacy also keeps him out of trouble, as Paul is consistently in controversy because he reveals so much. These varying levels of parasocial relations come with pros and cons, as Jun and Paul show.
ReplyDeleteHi Madison,
ReplyDeleteI love JunsKitchen and his cats! Everyone that I've talked to about it agrees that the videos are always super relaxing and peaceful to watch. Still, as you point out, JunsKitchen is not an exception to the omnipresent monetization aspect of Youtube. He links his tools and equipment, produces sponsored videos, and promotes merchandise. The idea of Youtuber merchandise reminds me of the Post-Marxist ideas that Adorno and Horkheimer discuss. They argue that the relationship between the economy and culture is not one directional, where the economy is the sole dictator of society. Rather, the economy and culture mutually influence and reinforce each other.
Youtuber merch reflects this Post-Marxist idea. It is representative of culture, at least a certain realm of pop culture, because it is often emblazoned with things that are only recognizable by a certain group, like a logo, catch phrase, or inside joke with the audience. The appeal of the merch depends on the watchers' desire to support their favorite creators, receive recognition from the creators and other fans, and purchase a tangible signifier of the online community they are a part of. Without the economic drivers (the Youtubers dependence on videos/merch for revenue and the viewers' demand for the content and the merch), the culture, or the online community, would not exist. Conversely, the market for the merch would not exist without the already existing community. In this way, JunsKitchen and many other Youtubers that promote their merch are participating in Post-Marxist actions.
Madison, I really appreciate the depth and descriptive details you include in your post; being unfamiliar with the JunsKitchen YouTube channel, it was extremely helpful in understanding your arguments and connections with the readings to be provided with this context for and mental image of the channel’s videos. I found your discussion of the construction of a microcelebrity persona to be particularly convincing, especially in referencing the capitalistic gains the majority of microcelebrities aim to achieve through their constructed personas. Your discussion of gentle breeze, flowers, local produce, and even his own home garden reminds me in some ways of the cottage-core aesthetic that has become increasingly popular on social media platforms. The more simple lifestyle of living and producing locally is a lifestyle that many people today adopt in direct opposition to materialism and consumerism; to many across the country and the world, this is just their way of life, not a choice away from consumerism but simply the way they grew up. In this way, a more “traditional” lifestyle might be considered an authentic, marginal, fringe culture that has now become popularized in the mass media landscape and has been appropriated into novel forms of popular culture. This “borrowing” has parallels to Fiske’s discussion of “the jeaning of America”. Originally a functional clothing item characteristic of the “ruggedness”, “physicality”, and “natural” style of the American working class, jeans have been transferred into the context of popular culture with “traces of the forces of domination and subordination that are central to our social system” (Fiske, 1989, pp. 4-5). Like jeans, farming and more natural lifestyles within modern society, for many, originated with functionality as well as opposition to fast-paced, material culture; but, over time, and especially recently, this way of living has become aestheticized and commodified by media artifacts similar to JunsKitchen’s video described in this blog post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Madison for uncovering the hidden gem that is JunsKitchen. As someone who finds themselves who tends to look for serenity and soothing in his choices of escapism, JunsKitchen is right up my alley. I kind of feel like people watch JunsKitchen for the same reason that people meditate, grow plants, or have rock gardens; the modern world and its many endeavors are ridden with chaos, so many people want their downtime and leisure to be rife with peace. The order and predictability that JunsKitchen’s videos provide offer a perfect escape from the stresses of everyday life. Some other channels that I watch, such as Binging with Babish, provide a similar sense of comfort through a serenity and familiarity with what each video will contain.
ReplyDeleteJunsKitchen provides a service with his content; he offers insight into his life and shares his moments of peace with the world. I agree with his decision to plug his cat merch on his channel because he needs security within the capitalist system for him to keep making his videos. Unfortunately, certain goods and services are not provided in our society that would allow him to afford the food he cooks, shelter for his cats, and the equipment required for him to make his videos, so he must rely on his subscribers to provide some of this stuff.
The projection of luckiness onto the onions that you talked reminded me of what Michael Schudson said about the consumer of content being a player as well. Jun’s fans have taken the content and essentially added new unintended context to inanimate aspects of his videos. Part of what makes JunsKitchen so popular in my opinion is the ability for the consumer of the content to determine for themselves where the allure of the content comes from.
I really liked what you wrote about Madison, nicely done! I think you make a really good point about the way commodification sneaks into so many aspects of life (like even for a guy who makes food videos with his cats). Another point you made that I found interesting is how creators can cultivate the exact representation of themselves that they wish to portray, which is a form of identity work and also can have negative consequences on viewers as it creates a false sense of reality (through the escapism you speak about).
ReplyDeleteI found the Adorno and Horkheimer reading to be very applicable to your blog post. Firstly, the whole idea of the Culture Industry, and how it promotes capitalism through the media, like in the case of JunsKitchen advertising the utensils he uses, for example. This also relates to commodity fetishism: these kinds of enticing videos designed to draw us in lead to the consumption of overpriced, unnecessary items like a “sharpening stone”. Further, I think a crucial concept that Adorno and Horkheimer write about is standardization and pseudo-individualism. All of JunsKitchen’s videos, like most Youtubers, consist of really similar content with subtle differences to make it feel like a unique experience for viewers. Even though viewers know pretty much what each video will entail, they continue watching keenly and eagerly anticipate “new” content.
Your emphasis on the way microcelbrities, like JunsKitchen, still are prioritizing profitability and monetization behind what we initially see in their content highlights the prevalence of incorporation. I find this idea is applicable in the way that no one can truly escape mainstream and capitalist structures; they will always be pulled back in.
The last key point of Adorno and Horkeimers that I find really relevant here is the way in which they believe audiences are passive and fall victim to what is offered. You may feel like you are solely watching a peaceful food/cat video to escape “the real world” and relax, when actually, you’ve been sucked into the capitalist reality of the Culture Industry to increase someone’s profits.