Twitch streamers have arranged a boycott called #ADayOffTwitch to protest against the hate raids that have been targeting marginalised creators.
The boycott will take place on 1 September. It has been organised by Rek It Raven, LuciaEverBlack and Shineypen. Streamers are encouraged not to stream, while audiences are encouraged not to watch.
Raven’s tweet advertising the protest has gained over 8000 likes, and multiple streamers have stated they will join, including Adventure Zone and MBMBaM cohost Travis McElroy.
However, some are unsure that the campaign will make a difference. Twitch partner Detune expressed concern that the protests will deplatform marginalized streamers’ voices when they need to be loudest, while Asmongold said that he would not participate in the movement. He believes it will not make a difference as the larger streamers are not involved, although he said he would consider joining if popular streamers participated.
The protest follows Raven’s #TwitchDoBetter campaign, which they established to encourage Twitch to take action against hate raids.
Although Twitch announced they have implemented some measures to tackle hate raids, streamers are reporting that they are still experiencing them. DefinedByKy reported that she received two hate raids within 30 minutes of going live, and Raven received back-to-back hate raids for two hours.
Twitch made a further statement on Friday 20 August, stating that “this is not the community we want on Twitch” and they “are working hard to make Twitch a safer place for creators.”
“As we work on solutions, bad actors work in parallel to find ways around them—which is why we can’t always share details,” they continued. “In the meantime, please keep reporting these egregious attacks. It helps us identify and remove bad actors and their networks, and update tools as behaviours evolve. These changes may not be visible, but we are making them daily.
“We want every creator to feel safe doing what they love, and our team is constantly working to develop lasting, impactful solutions that make Twitch safe for everyone.”
Words by Ellen Leslie
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