This term was first introduced by James Joyce to describe the state of not only seeing art but being in a higher state of awareness while appreciating it. The mind is ‘arrested’ and all desires and loathing become irrelevant to the spectator. M. Wesch, however, uses this term in the context of YouTube. Viewers do not just simply watch YouTube videos, they rather form a deep connection with the ‘vlogger’. The possibility to watch a video over and over again, to ‘stare’ without any inhibitions and to experience people. One gets the sense that the viewers are ‘overwhelmed by the beauty of the human in front of them’.

Wesch explains in his lecture why people feel this way: in the process of how we express ourselves as individuals and what we wish for, a cultural tension develops. This individualism, at the same time, marks us as a lonely individual that craves a deeper connection. But similarly the wished for connection is often seen as a constraint, as there are usually certain responsibilities involved which just come along naturally when having deeper connections to other human beings. In that respect however, YouTube is able to “offer” deep connections with “no strings attached”.

Websites used: http://mediatedcultures.net/smatterings/aesthetic-arrest/