Streamer BrookeAB took to Twitter on Monday to expose her stalkers and the death threats she has received while streaming on Twitch. The past year has seen major growth for such streaming services like it, and Twitch is easily the most popular despite some streamers moving to YouTube Gaming.
There has also been a growing need to make these spaces more secure for creators and viewers alike. More and more, streamers like BrookeAB are using their influence to induce change in the face of harassment. Users rose together en masse last summer when some creators on Twitch had yet to be held accountable for misconduct and violations of Twitch’s terms of service. This year, Twitch’s userbase has turned its attention to harassment, hate raids and other toxic behavior on the platform, which culminated in September 1’s #ADayOffTwitch protest.
BrookeAB shared her own story on Twitter, releasing screenshots of vulgar and threatening comments from her Twitch channel’s chat. She noted this is something that happens to her “every single day,” apologizing to friends and viewers for the behavior of her harassers. In another tweet posted the same day, BrookeAB stated she will continue advocating for mental health causes and the protection of online harassment targets. She also called on social media platforms to help those victims. This was a probable nod to Twitch’s most recent responses to users who were requesting an open dialogue and better security tools.
She’s not alone, as another streamer recently shared they were hate raided on Twitch three times in a single week. The comments on BrookeAB’s tweets showed solidarity from other Twitch creators, with some describing their own frustrations with Twitch’s perceived inaction. As matters appear to grow worse, Twitch streamers are rallying together in protest of harassment. While Twitch has provided statements about measures it will take to help combat these issues in the future, the platform has yet to comment on any specific incidents.
Streamers who face this kind of harassment, as BrookeAB noted, often also lack the support system necessary to deal with such threats. This appears to be one of many reasons why the larger Twitch community is calling for action from the company. Among the requests are for tools to deal with hate, harassment, and death threats. Given the gravity of recent escalations and attacks, many will wait anxiously to see how Twitch ultimately responds to the situation.
Sources: BrookeAB/Twitter (1, 2) Twitch/Twitter
