Whether your creators are from the LGBTQIA+ community, a minority, or just women, TwitchCon has a panel discussion for every one of them. The live streaming platform’s convention program, which is being held for the first time in Paris on July 8 and 9, places a strong emphasis on inclusion.
However, Twitch is often noted for being a place where sexism is freely expressed. At the end of October 2022, Maghla, the most followed streamer on the platform, revealed the hell experienced by content creators: cyberbullying, photomontages and obscene videos or threats of rape. As a result of this first revelation, tongues were loosed. Many designers had thus corroborated the facts denounced by Maghla.
After this massive speech, it only took Twitch a month to invent a “shield mode”. As of December 2022, some creators have adopted this defense system, in particular to protect against a mass influx of bystanders during a raid.
Verification of numbers or emails
Additionally, content creators can exchange banned viewer lists. Therefore, a person who has behaved inappropriately on a channel that has resulted in a ban (a ban from viewing or using the chat) may be automatically banned from another streamer.
Increasingly, security tools are prevention-oriented. Previously, you could only populate a pre-made word list to prevent viewers from using them in a chat. Now, the prerequisites can be defined.
Above all, the streamer can count on a moderation team “at work”. Malicious messages are often deleted before she has time to read them. But in the past, she doesn’t know she felt particularly affected by the waves of hatred that she suffered.
Overcome impostor syndrome
The Stream’Her association wants to promote women in the world of streaming by giving them the keys to prosper in this practice. “The goal is for women who watch Twitch to be able to recognize themselves on the platform and start in turn,” says the Stream’Her founder, who wants to overcome the impostor syndrome felt by many creators.
End the sense of impunity
Through game nights, events like a streaming summer camp, or meetups, Stream’Her brings her community to life, bringing together over 1,000 female streamers on her Discord server.
But as initiatives are launched and tools are meant to be reassuring, what about the place of women on the live streaming platform? “Sometimes I have the impression that we take one step forward and two steps back,” laments Chloé Boels, who nevertheless acknowledges that “talking about the great streamers has allowed the general public to understand reality.”
According to her, education is still an important thing. “Above all, a feeling of impunity must cease to exist. People must be clear that they must behave on the Internet as they would in real life, ”she concludes.
Source: BFM TV
