Twitch lives in the first digital revolution; Users are boycotting

Over the past few weeks, Twitch users have spoken out against the abuse and harassment they are subjected to simply for being marginalized people on the platform. On September 1, some streamers plan to boycott the stage to make their voices heard.

En Twitch, “Assault” is usually a positive verb, either for game reasons or to diversify the content. Sometimes, when a streaming device ends its broadcast, it encourages its viewers to head over to watch another broadcast that is still active. Basically, you’re asking your viewers to “break into” another channel, and the idea is to bombard themselves with love and grow the channels.

a “I hate raid“It’s a completely different attack and the users know that very well. That takes what would normally be a positive development, an influx of new viewers, and turns it into something terrifying. And suddenly, The live chat is filled with hate messages, often directed at them due to the ways in which they are marginalized. This issue has been intensifying on Twitch all summer.

This boycott was created by Twitch Streamers ShineyPen, Lucia Everblack, and RekitRavenThe strike aims to create greater awareness of the issues creators face on Twitch.

A Day Off Twitch was born out of the movement #TwitchDoBetter, a hashtag created by broadcast censors affected by the hate raids that have erupted in recent weeks on Twitch. While the act of bombarding live chat with racist, sexist, transphobic, and abusive messages in general is not new, the phenomenon has seen a significant increase as users use bots to flood chats with hundreds of automatically generated messages.

In response to what they thought was Twitch’s slow response to abuse, streamer RekitRaven created the hashtag #TwitchDoBetter to urge the (Amazon-owned) streaming platform to implement better tools to stem the tide of harassment.

Twitch has promised fixes, but in the meantime, streamers must fight hate raids using community-developed tools and resources. ShineyPen, the transient Filipino broadcaster, believes more needs to be done besides talking about the problem, so he decides to organize a strike.

RekitRaven echoed Shiney’s comments that this strike has more to do with solidarity among marginalized streamers than a way to influence Twitch results. “I think it is important that we unite for the good of all those affected and show that we will not back down.”, Comment on social networks.

Although he had good intentions, the A Day Off Twitch movement received many responses, including among his followers. With the endemic Twitch domination of the streaming community, it is simply pointless for some of the smaller streamers, and perhaps the population hardest hit by hate raids, to take a day off.

For some creatives, Twitch is your only source of income. Users trying to create or maintain affiliate or partner status (the designations they give to creators, leading to access to various monetization methods) can put their finances or the health of their channel at risk by taking a day off. There are also contractual obligations such as advertising agreements or associations that prohibit Banners skip a day.

Other streamers oppose A Day Off Twitch for more philosophical reasons. For them, the people behind these forays of hate intimidate the marginalized streamers off the podium, and take a day off that gives them exactly what they want. They consider that continuing to broadcast and speak out against violations is the best way to confront trolls who may not face repercussions for their actions.

As September 1 approaches and A Day Off Twitch gains traction, there is a noticeable silence from some of Twitch’s biggest stars. and some of the Banners Old people talking about it don’t have nice things to say. There is a broader sense of abandonment and hypocrisy regarding silence Banners The biggest in the subject of hate raids.

During Pride Month or Protests for Racial Equality, banners large and small expressed their support for affected communities. However, some of these same voices are now unheard.

Twitch’s support for A Day Off Twitch extends far beyond his statements. The platform will start its September event on September 2, the day after the protests, presumably Banners Whoever can participate can still benefit.

As Twitch develops those security improvements, streamers are still grappling with dangerous forays of hate that lead to hex And beatingTalk about moving to other platforms is back again.

Twitch is the biggest fish in the streaming pond, but it’s not the only one. Even after Microsoft shut down its Mixer platform, Facebook and YouTube are offering alternatives to viewers who are tired of what they believe is Twitch’s slow, reactive response to harassment.

pat