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>parasocial relationships have a long and sordid history -- starting with the invention of the "fireside chat" on radio. They don't call it the oldest professi

>parasocial relationships have a long and sordid history -- starting with the invention of the "fireside chat" on radio. They don't call it the oldest profession as a joke. Social interaction and validation is the single most valuable thing to human beings, and it always has been. The basic business model of OnlyFans is absolutely no different than what has occured since the beginning of human civilization.

andromeduck 6y ago
It's really not to different from a lot of religious behavior either. If people can feel deeply attached after reading a book or hearing a story It really shouldn't be surprising that that others can feel the same via stream or other digital mediums. One can also think of these purchased rewards/interactions as the equivalent of relic collection/worship.
- mattmanser 6y ago
  I'd hesitate to conflate the two. As someone from a mainly secular country, I have often pondered the loss of a central gathering place the places like a church give to society. A weekly service really helps foster a community. The only other thing that does is schools, but that excludes a huge swathe of people.
  - foxdev 6y ago
    You might be interested in the concept of the third place: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place
    - abeppu 6y ago
      Bwahahahasob. That's right, in the before-times home and work were separate places.
      - TeMPOraL 6y ago
        Only in last couple centuries; before, when most people lived in villages, your home was your workplace.
  - mensetmanusman 6y ago
    It is very interesting, especially the sociological demographic data showing what is happening in response to the decline of church attendance. In a nut-shell, communities that stop going to ‘church’ don’t produce enough offspring to be long term (centuries) stable, but those that do are long term stable.
    - tenacious_tuna 6y ago
      That's fascinating! I've wondered about that anecdotally for some time. Do you have links to more in-depth reading?
      - mensetmanusman 6y ago
        There is a lot from Pew’s data: https://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/05/the-changing-global-religious-landscape/#age-and-fertility-are-major-factors-behind-growth-of-religious-groups https://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/05/the-changing-global-reli...
hnick 6y ago
Yeah I rarely watch Twitch but basically do so for two reasons. The first is to check out games I'm interested in. The streamer is mostly incidental unless they're actually getting in the way of seeing the game. YouTube exists for this too, but I find the spaces in between the highlights that you see in streams to be more interesting than the structured reviews. The second is to watch them play a game I've already played, usually in the hopes they enjoy it too. It's a form of validation of my own experiences, it's just nice to see someone happy at the same things I guess, and also a way to relive a story I might have mostly forgotten but through a fresh perspective.
- dwighttk 6y ago
  Man I barely even want to watch the cut scenes once.
- chii 6y ago
  > Yeah I rarely watch Twitch but basically do so for two reasons. I think you may even be in the minority. I would expect most fans of twitch streamers to be an actual fan, not there to merely enjoy the game (even tho the game is actually enjoyable to them as well). On youtube, it is more likely the opposite - "fans" on youtube enjoy the content, more than the youtuber. This is typically why once a youtuber becomes well-known for one type of content, that they cannot switch away (see the countless minecraft content creators that are somewhat burnt out by minecraft, but continues to make it since it is the majority of their views). Content creators who _are_ personalities and can branch out, have already done so to twitch.
  - moksly 6y ago
    I think it’s hard to outline why people watch twitch. I follow quite a few blood bowl streamers, and use twitch for little else. I use it like I use sports. Though at first I did learn things, but now it’s solely for watching high end playoff/championship games, sometimes with friends. I haven’t really donated much outside the thing you get by having an amazon prime subscription. Which is honestly rather silly considering how much money I pay for my NFL subscription.
- 6y ago

andromeduck 6y ago

It's really not to different from a lot of religious behavior either. If people can feel deeply attached after reading a book or hearing a story It really shouldn't be surprising that that others can feel the same via stream or other digital mediums. One can also think of these purchased rewards/interactions as the equivalent of relic collection/worship.

mattmanser 6y ago
I'd hesitate to conflate the two. As someone from a mainly secular country, I have often pondered the loss of a central gathering place the places like a church give to society. A weekly service really helps foster a community. The only other thing that does is schools, but that excludes a huge swathe of people.
- foxdev 6y ago
  You might be interested in the concept of the third place: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place
  - abeppu 6y ago
    Bwahahahasob. That's right, in the before-times home and work were separate places.
    - TeMPOraL 6y ago
      Only in last couple centuries; before, when most people lived in villages, your home was your workplace.
- mensetmanusman 6y ago
  It is very interesting, especially the sociological demographic data showing what is happening in response to the decline of church attendance. In a nut-shell, communities that stop going to ‘church’ don’t produce enough offspring to be long term (centuries) stable, but those that do are long term stable.
  - tenacious_tuna 6y ago
    That's fascinating! I've wondered about that anecdotally for some time. Do you have links to more in-depth reading?
    - mensetmanusman 6y ago
      There is a lot from Pew’s data: https://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/05/the-changing-global-religious-landscape/#age-and-fertility-are-major-factors-behind-growth-of-religious-groups https://www.pewforum.org/2017/04/05/the-changing-global-reli...

hnick 6y ago

Yeah I rarely watch Twitch but basically do so for two reasons. The first is to check out games I'm interested in. The streamer is mostly incidental unless they're actually getting in the way of seeing the game. YouTube exists for this too, but I find the spaces in between the highlights that you see in streams to be more interesting than the structured reviews. The second is to watch them play a game I've already played, usually in the hopes they enjoy it too. It's a form of validation of my own experiences, it's just nice to see someone happy at the same things I guess, and also a way to relive a story I might have mostly forgotten but through a fresh perspective.

dwighttk 6y ago
Man I barely even want to watch the cut scenes once.
chii 6y ago
> Yeah I rarely watch Twitch but basically do so for two reasons. I think you may even be in the minority. I would expect most fans of twitch streamers to be an actual fan, not there to merely enjoy the game (even tho the game is actually enjoyable to them as well). On youtube, it is more likely the opposite - "fans" on youtube enjoy the content, more than the youtuber. This is typically why once a youtuber becomes well-known for one type of content, that they cannot switch away (see the countless minecraft content creators that are somewhat burnt out by minecraft, but continues to make it since it is the majority of their views). Content creators who _are_ personalities and can branch out, have already done so to twitch.
- moksly 6y ago
  I think it’s hard to outline why people watch twitch. I follow quite a few blood bowl streamers, and use twitch for little else. I use it like I use sports. Though at first I did learn things, but now it’s solely for watching high end playoff/championship games, sometimes with friends. I haven’t really donated much outside the thing you get by having an amazon prime subscription. Which is honestly rather silly considering how much money I pay for my NFL subscription.
6y ago