Due to high volume of viewers, and less restrictions on Twitch chat. It can be bad sometime but it vary users to users. The only way to keep your Twitch chat clean is immediately blocking bad people from your Twitch chat.
- Twitch chat is notorious for toxic behavior and spamming emotes.
- Twitch’s degree of freedom and anonymity allows toxic behavior to thrive.
- Adolescents and teenagers contribute to the toxicity as they find chaotic and unpredictable chat rooms more entertaining.
- Attention-seeking viewers also spam messages to seek validation and attention from the streamer.
- Toxic users are a minority, but they are often the loudest in Twitch’s community.
- Gaming culture and toxic behavior have been associated for a long time.
- As a streamer, moderators can keep chat rooms clean and healthy, and clearly stated chat rules and consequences can be enforced strictly.
- As a viewer, ignoring toxic messages, reporting toxic behavior, and participating in positive chats can be effective ways to reduce toxicity.
| Important Aspects | Description |
| Reasons for Twitch’s Toxicity | Twitch chat is toxic because of the platform’s freedom and anonymity, adolescents and teenagers being the majority of users, attention-seeking behavior, loud minority of toxic users, and the association of toxicity and gaming culture. |
| Dealing with Toxicity | Streamers can have moderators, set chat rules, use time-out and ban features, give written warnings, use chatbots, enable slow mode, and unique mode. Viewers can ignore toxic messages, report toxic behavior, and participate in positive chats. |
| Importance of Reducing Toxicity | Toxicity on Twitch can drive users away and damage the community of the streamer. Therefore, it is important to take steps to reduce toxicity. |
Twitch is a popular platform for gamers, but it has a notorious reputation for toxic behavior in its chat rooms. Twitch chat is so toxic because the platform gives viewers a degree of freedom and anonymity that allows toxic behavior to thrive. The average age of Twitch users is also a problem, as most viewers are teenagers who are prone to edgy and toxic behavior. Additionally, the chat room’s intended function of allowing viewers to message each other and the streamer has changed. Instead of having a civil discussion, most viewers use chat rooms just to spam emotes and highlighted chat. Even though Twitch has changed its stance on hateful conduct and harassment, moderating behavior on Twitch remains a challenge.
In this article, we will explore the reasons why Twitch chat is so toxic and hated by many users. We will also provide practical tips on how to moderate and reduce toxicity on your channel.
Majority of Twitch Users are Teenage Boys and Adolescents
According to GlobalWebIndex, 41% of the Twitch audience is aged 16-24, and 65% of Twitch users are male. Adolescents and teenagers contribute to the toxicity on Twitch, as they often find a chaotic and unpredictable chat room more entertaining. As long as one user initiates toxic behavior or discussion, many other immature users will follow. Even if you ban them, they can create new accounts to disturb and annoy the streamer as an act of revenge. As a streamer, you need to be careful dealing with toxic viewers.
Some Viewers Love to Seek Attention
Attention-seeking is another reason why Twitch chat can be toxic. Some viewers spam messages to seek attention from the streamer, even if they get punished. Attention seekers are always the worst kind of fan, so you should avoid giving them too much attention and making them feel validated. It’s better to ignore them and let them give up on your channel instead of letting them destroy your community.
The Loud Minority of Twitch
Toxic users are a minority, but they are often the loudest in Twitch’s community. Normal viewers rarely use the chat features and just watch the streamer play the game. Toxic viewers keep chatting to seek attention and make the chat room chaotic. Most nice users on Twitch do not use the chat features because they do not want to be exposed to toxic messages.
Toxic Gaming Culture on Twitch
Toxicity and gaming culture have been associated for a long time. Gaming is often seen as a negative way to spend time, and many gamers have been reprimanded by their parents for playing games excessively. This creates negative energy when teenagers play games, especially online games, where their teammate’s skill often matters. Blaming each other for defeats and toxicity has become normal in online gaming. When many gamers started using Twitch, toxic behavior was already a bad habit that was hard to break. Many people continue to send toxic messages on Twitch, forgetting that Twitch is an open platform that anyone can access, not just 10 people in games like LoL and Dota 2. The internet also gives everyone access to do anything without any real consequences. Bad behavior often goes unpunished on the internet.
How to Deal with Toxicity on Twitch as a Streamer
As a streamer, there are several ways to deal with toxicity on your channel. Here are some tips:
- Have Moderators on your channel: Moderators can help you keep your chat room clean and healthy. They can monitor your chat room for toxic messages and remove them promptly. You can appoint trustworthy and experienced viewers as moderators or hire professional moderators.
- Have Chat Rules: Clearly state the rules of your chat room and enforce them strictly. Make sure that everyone in your chat room knows what is acceptable and what is not. You can also consider adding a bot that can post the rules of your chat room at regular intervals.
- Time out and Ban: Use the time-out and ban features to punish toxic viewers. If someone is sending toxic messages, give them a time-out for a few minutes or even ban them permanently if they continue to violate the rules.
- Give them a written warning if they violate the rule: If someone violates your chat rules, give them a warning. Explain to them what they did wrong and what the consequences will be if they continue to violate the rules.
- Chatbot: Consider using a chatbot that can automatically remove toxic messages from your chat room. You can configure the chatbot to remove specific keywords or phrases that are commonly used in toxic messages.
- Enable Slow Mode: Enabling slow mode can help reduce the number of messages in your chat room. It can also give moderators more time to review messages and remove toxic ones.
- Enable Unique Mode: Unique mode can help prevent spamming in your chat room. It only allows viewers to send one message per user per time interval.
How to Deal with Toxic Twitch Chat as a Viewer
As a viewer, there are also some things you can do to deal with toxic Twitch chat:
- Ignore toxic messages: If you see a toxic message, ignore it. Don’t engage with the toxic viewer as it can only make the situation worse.
- Report toxic behavior: Use the reporting feature to report toxic behavior. Twitch takes reports seriously and will take action against toxic users.
- Participate in positive chats: Look for channels with positive chat rooms and participate in them. You can also join Discord servers or subreddits related to your favorite games or streamers.
Conclusion
Twitch chat is known for being toxic and filled with hate. The toxic behavior on Twitch is a result of various factors, including the age and gender of the users, gaming culture, and the degree of anonymity on the platform.
As a streamer or a viewer, it’s important to take steps to reduce toxicity on Twitch. Streamers can moderate their chat room, enforce chat rules, and appoint moderators to remove toxic messages. Viewers can ignore toxic messages, report toxic behavior, and participate in positive chats.
By understanding the reasons behind Twitch chat’s toxicity and taking steps to reduce it, we can create a more positive and healthy community on the platform. Remember, we all have a responsibility to make the internet a better place, and Twitch is no exception.