Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

From Spectacle to Sanctuary: A Sensory Ethnography of Cultural Discount Negotiation in Three Typologies of YouTube Food Shorts

Yang HanNewcastle University*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

In this paper, the author examines the theoretical application of multisensory rhetoric by YouTube food shorts to surpass the symbolic limits of the traditional phenomenon. With digital sensory ethnography, it explores three archetypes, including Chef Wang (professional performance), Pasta Grannies (familial tradition), and Emojoie (minimalist aesthetics). The social media algorithmic growth has re-scaled the way users perceive cultural discounting, with the research concept being transferred to the intuitive sensory bargaining. Although the role of compensatory sensorial experiences in overcoming cultural differences is rarely mentioned, it has an impact on the influencer economy and platform which are often talked about. This process is triggered by sensory ethnography. This research dismantles the audiovisual design by using more than 2, 000 comments of the viewer and consists of three patterns of sensory compensation used by Chef Wang to turn cultural barriers into transnational visual spectacle: "surgery precision in food art saves the appearance of the world of food culture; Pasta Grannies evokes universal nostalgia over the hometown, family, and heritage by using the aesthetic symbol of the home stove; and Emojoie visually presents cooking as a meditating product, meeting the relaxation needs of the audience and a tranqu This paper shows that the existence of such differences of cultures in short-form video media is a dynamic variable with the mediation through the audience affective negotiation. As a result, it establishes a new framework of theoretical knowledge about cross-cultural communication of user-generated content (UGC), which provides practitioners with insights and advice.

Keywords: cultural discount negotiation; sensory compensation; digital sensory ethnography; YouTube food shorts; typology of sensory affect
Published: March 30, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.HT32452
Volume: CHR Vol.104
pp. 208-216
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