January average concurrent viewers on Twitch showed a record 962k, up 22% from January 2017, and up 26% from December. For comparison, 2017 total day viewership for Fox News Channel and ESPN was ~1.5mm, MSNBC was 885K, and CNN was 783K, putting Twitch squarely among the most-watched U.S. cable channels.
Swatting
Doxxing, which comes from the word “document,” is the release of an online user’s private information, including but not limited to photo, address, birthdate, and Social Security number. This release is usually done for a particular purpose, for example, to reveal the anonymity of a person online.
Someone who operates under their own name, say a journalist, could also be doxxed, if their personal information is disseminated to the internet. And it’s not just individuals who can be doxxed, as the term can be applied to group membership. But no matter who is doxxed, it’s safe to say that someone who doxxes someone else intends to cause some sort of harm.
We are way more vulnerable in our real lives than movie stars.
Nobody is worried where Tom Cruise is. He has staff.
Big people have security. Small people don’t.
Streaming itself is so young. It is only seven years old.
I had someone send flowers to me.
I don’t have staff. They are being predatory.
It is a free platform for everyone. We have no power to go against it. I think I should have a defence against them.
Reasons For Success
It is better by far than YouTube because of the community tools. There are easier ways to sort out the viewing experience you want. You type in the game or type of content you want.
In YouTube there is no way to sort what sort of content you are looking for; and none of the group aspects.
It is also much easier for smaller streamers to get a foot up.
I am not a conservative, but I can see why the conservatives are coming out ahead the world over. The outrage deplatforming culture is many ways responsible for the right being elected.
The left are losing their minds and expecting the ridiculous from everybody.
It robs people of the ability to tell jokes.
The left love being outraged. I don’t want to live in a society where I have to watch everything I say for fear of being cancelled.
In Another Realm: The Virtual Bar
We become a person amongst persons.
The community aspect is strong.
All the biggest content creators on Twitch are alcoholics. You lose your inhibitions, you’re more funny, edgy, witty, and as far as the viewers are concerned, your content is better.
Not everyone is a pisshead, but most of them.
Drinking games are big, although not condoned or endorsed. There are power hours, where everyone takes a sip every minute.
They are saving money in the process and it is becoming a thing; bigger and bigger every day.
It is good for people who work, have long hours, social anxiety. A lot of people on Twitch have anxiety and are using the platform to get past their mental health issues.
One of the upsides is it gives people who have difficult finding or making friends outside their house a space where they can go to and get to know people online.
More and more people are finding they don’t have to leave their home. But through their computer the bars are always open, people can always drop in to see if anyone is around.