A Twitch streamer by the name of KarenLiao berates a viewer after a $1 donation. Harassment goes both ways when it comes to live-streaming on Twitch, whether by a viewer or the streamer themselves.
Twitch is no stranger to controversy, as the Amazon streaming giant has its own share of problems that range from gambling streams to interpersonal relationships between streamers. Among these controversies, problematic behavior between viewers and streamers is a constant with 140 million active users per month. Even so, the culture of live-streaming better reflects positive and healthy engagement among the community, which, unfortunately, did not happen recently in a livestream featuring KarenLiao.
Twitch streamer KarenLiao received a $1 donation, but instead of being thankful for the donation, the streamer demeaned the viewer, essentially putting a target on them. KarenLiao told the viewer that they could not do anything with $1 and said "don't be poor" in an attempt to have them send more money. The streamer then threatened to ban the viewer if they did not subscribe and even proceeded to aggressively countdown from 10 in hopes that this harassment tactic would bully the viewer into subscribing and gifting more money. Twitch updated its harassment guidelines to crack down on bullying, as this behavior does not reflect the quality or values that the company expects out of its users.
Streamers are not new to asking for subscribers, whether it is a public service announcement that is expressed at the beginning and/or end of live streams, or through other means. However, it rarely results in live streamers berating a single viewer. Certainly, there are more tasteful ways of engaging with one's audience to make them feel like they are part of a community with meaningful content. There are plenty of examples to look to for inspiration on how to grow on Twitch, such as Ludwig, who won the streamer of the year award, or Kai Cenat, who is almost the most-subscribed streamer on the platform.
KarenLaio, in her speech to the viewer, did bring up an interesting point regarding Twitch’s payment policies. The streamer noted that they would only be receiving around.60 cents out of the full $1 that was donated. The announcement of Twitch’s new revenue split change left many streamers feeling frustrated and under pressure to perform at a higher rate. Regardless, this is no excuse for any Twitch streamer or viewer to engage in bullying behavior in an attempt to earn more money and subscribers.
Source: Dexerto