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Twitch replaces the PogChamp with a new community face every day for the rest of the year, and while the platform’s intentions are good, the actual rollout has been complicated. Some streamers who have been highlighted under the new initiative have experienced increased harassment during their tenure at PogChamp, and many fans want the live streaming service to be more proactive in its efforts to support these streamers. .
PogChamp is one of the most popular emotes on the platform, but Twitch removed the original, which was the face of Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez, from its service after Gutierrez used social media to urge ” more violence ”after the last Capitol Hill attack. the week. Twitch also banned Donald Trump’s Twitch page to “prevent Twitch from being used to incite further violence.”
“We want the feeling and use of Pog to continue to live on – its significance is much greater than the person depicted or the image itself – and it has a big place in Twitch culture,” Twitch tweeted on January 6. “However, we can’t in good conscience continue to allow the use of the image.”
Twitch cited streamer and elder StarCraft 2 expert Sean Plott for the new idea, after suggesting creating a database of different PogChamp faces from different streamers. Kenny “unroolie” McWild was the first new face of PogChamp, followed by streamer and dancer UmiNoKaiju, Pokémon Banner Reversal, and actor and singer Omega Jones (also known as Critical Bard). Each held the role of PogChamp for 24 hours, and Tuesday, drag queen Deere took over the title.
Although some expressed hesitation about the idea – especially by linking the popularity and language of emotes to real people – it has also been positively received as a way to uplift marginalized creators on Twitch. The hope was that by showcasing a wider range of streamers, Twitch could help create a more inclusive community. And indeed, the PogChamp emote experience has featured a diverse range of streamers over the past few days. However, members of the Twitch community criticize the company for not doing enough to protect these streamers from the harassment that comes with increased visibility.
Each of the streamers featured so far have seen increased reach, having seen their faces broadcast on Twitch’s 7.8 million Twitter accounts. There are benefits to this: Twitch is bringing new voices to the forefront of its service. But there’s also a downside, and that’s the toxicity that the Twitch community can sometimes bring with it.
Reversal, the face of PogChamp on January 10, said he received minor trolls by being the face of PogChamp – but not enough to ruin the experience for him. The harassment was noticeably different on January 11, when Jones took over the role.
Although Jones said he received a lot of support from viewers and fans, he also received “a lot of hurtful posts and death threats” on his social media accounts, including during Monday’s airing. “I prepared my Twitch and Discord moderators on what was probably going to happen, given that I’m a black man who’s about to be the face of a global emote that Twitch has loved for so long,” said Jones told Polygon via Twitter DM.
The harassment comes from a comment Jones made live to explain “the difference between saying white lives matter and black lives matter,” he said. Specifically, people clung to Jones saying that “white people’s lives don’t matter,” far from the context of what he was actually saying: that whites can be proud of their heritage – as s ‘they were Scottish or Irish – but to be proud to be white is do not the same as being proud to be black.
“Black people have to say Black Lives Matter because we were stolen from a country, […] stripped of our heritage and our identities, ”he said live. “All we know is our darkness. There is a difference. “
Critics on social media have cited “reverse racism” on Jones’ comments, even though that’s something that doesn’t exist in the United States, given the broader power dynamics at play.
Twitch told Polygon via email that they are in “close contact” with the streamers highlighted in the PogChamp experience.
“Putting forward a new PogChamp every day was an idea that came straight from our community and was created with the spirit of celebrating the diversity of creators on Twitch,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “While we have seen an overwhelmingly positive response from the community and the featured individuals, we are also in close contact with the new faces of PogChamp to offer support as needed. We do not tolerate harassment on Twitch and will take action if behavior by our service violates our policies. “
But Jones said Twitch isn’t doing enough. “I just want them to realize that they have the capacity to suppress a lot of this,” he told Polygon. “Completely ban the people who feed these flames, it’s harder for people to do random counts just to harass.” Saying nothing is the silence on which racists and fanatics thrive. Speaking clearly and taking a stand against racism and hate does a lot more than it seems. Don’t wait for a black person or marginalized person to send you a message – we shouldn’t have to educate you on how to improve security. “
Community members agree, including content creator and activist Natasha “Zombaekillz” Zinda, who led the previous charge for Twitch to feature Black Twitch streamers. “The battle cry for mods whenever one of us has a chance,” she tweeted Tuesday. “The feeling of dread every time we are successful. The erasure of our contributions. That is why I am taking the floor.
People are speaking out in solidarity with Jones, especially after the visible rise in harassment on social media. The general gist to fans is that the idea of Twitch is a good one, but the execution needs some work to protect streamers, especially given the platform’s track record with viewers using emotes to express racism. .
“Again, Twitch seems to fail to understand how their community is divided, and various viewers have now resorted to harassing one of the new streamers they’ve chosen to be an emoticon,” Streamer Twitch JG, also known as UTxJGTheDonPolygon said via email.
Likewise, after Twitch’s implementation of Deere as a new PogChamp, the streamer received a mixture of support and harassment, the latter including transphobia.
“This ALWAYS happens when Twitch tries to promote inclusion in any way,” UTxJGTheDon said. “A greater conversation needs to take place between the people who frequent the platform and the superiors who manage the platform. Things like this won’t stop until Twitch categorically condemns any type of hostile / toxic behavior. ”
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