Twitch 'n Chat

Lately I have been consuming a lot of livestreams on Twitch. My previous understanding of Twitch was that it’s a platform for gamers to stream their live gameplay to viewers. What I didn’t realize was that it’s a very interactive and social experience, and isn’t always centered around the act of gaming. For example, there’s a category called “Just Chatting” that many of the creators I watch utilize. They sit in front of their camera with a cute background behind them and chat about anything, often engaging with chat.

There is a strong sense of community and sociability within the viewer chat. Viewers send messages meant for the streamer to see, but also for other viewers. Conversations take place within chat, but this is where Discord comes in. Many creators have a Discord server, another social platform meant for communicating within a community. These servers contain rooms and channels for different topics. Community building takes place within Twitch, but also through secondary social platforms.

I'm still very new to both spaces, but have thoroughly enjoyed the interactivity and unique social experiences I haven't had elsewhere.