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For some reason this article stirs a lot of internal conflict in me. A part of me wants to view it without any judgement but another part, the old man part, fe

For some reason this article stirs a lot of internal conflict in me. A part of me wants to view it without any judgement but another part, the old man part, feels there’s something deeply wrong with this. The problem is that I cannot think of a substantive reason it’s wrong other than “half a million people don’t have something better to do than watch someone study?” Or “do kids have such a weak will that they cannot study by themselves?” Or, “are we so lonely/needy that we have to broadcast ourselves/watch others doing mundane things rather than something more important?” Neither of these are really true and in fact it’s a positive that others are accomplishing they study goals by watching him. I’m just in my 40’s but it feels like the old Simpsons joke “old man yells at cloud”. This is a bit unsettling.

nightski 4y ago
I'm in my upper 30s and I can relate to the post. Am by no means lonely or alone (I have a wife, family, and friends all around). But for me some times it is nice just to know someone out there is doing the same thing as you. Whether it is studying a book or any solo activity I find it inspiring/motivating. It's not a matter of having a weak will either as I have learned plenty of things on my own (in fact I tend to learn the best through self study). But all I can explain it with is that it is motivating and comforting.
- staindk 4y ago
  As I mentioned in my own reply to the top-level commenter, this[1] notion of 'body doubling' is interesting to read about. I can definitely relate to it. Every time I studied "with" a classmate at e.g. the university library I would end up still just studying by myself, though just knowing there are others around doing the same/similar thing had a positive effect on me. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31303234 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31303234
  - wirthjason 4y ago
    I’m a firm believer in many of the things mentioned. When I study with someone there’s a real life component. We take breaks together, chat, ask each other questions. Also, studying in common places can remove environmental distractions. For some reason during finals time I had the urge to clean the apartment. I can relate to the physical in-person-ness of the experience. I cannot relate to the non-interactive, passive watching of it.
    - staindk 4y ago
      No idea if the study streamer in the article does this, but a lot of popular streamers make it a priority to interact with their viewers - e.g. CohhCarnage, Day9, Pestily. It's a great thing to do if there is some amount of 'down time' between games or during loading screens and such, but from what I've seen it does help make their viewers feel more heard and such. In the article they mention he studies with a pomodoro timer, so I guess he interacts with the "stream chat" during the off time and such. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Definitely not for everyone! But I can see the appeal.
chownie 4y ago
> Or “do kids have such a weak will that they cannot study by themselves?” For what it's worth, people have been heading to libraries and coffee shops for the communal-work environment for ages, this is just the parasocial analogue to that practice. Set and setting, not just for drugs!
- snek_case 4y ago
  I clicked on the post thinking it must be because the streamer is a hot young woman. That was the stereotype of popular streamer doing something uninteresting that came to my mind based on what's been going on with the game streamer community on twitch. Some girl in a microbikini with fake glasses pretenting do read a book and winking at the camera from time to time. Like, yeah, ok, I'm sure you could get as many viewers with sexy beekeeping. It actually seems a lot more wholesome that people are wanting a virtual "study pal" as motivation. That's pretty normal and healthy. We're a social species. If this helps people not feel alone and it helps them get started, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. I'm sure some people also watch this guy because they think he's attractive, but at least he's giving them a positive stereotype, attractive because he's doing something good for his own development vs attention grabbing and attractive because skimpy outfit.
  - sandworm101 4y ago
    >> sexy beekeeping. Greenlit. 12 episodes. Where do I send the check? Do we see them being stung or is that CGI?
    - sidpatil 4y ago
      Bee Movie came out in 2007.
    - b112 4y ago
      You made me think, I started wondering about the beekeeping outfit, which is typically thick, loose, baggy. But I bet a latex catsuit would prevent stingers, show all the curves, and fall right inline with this concept. If anyone wants to seriously pursue this, I have the perfect Quebec actress for this role. Bam, take it up a notch! Sexy french, latex clad, beekeeping. "Zee bees, zey are my passion mon cheri" This could seriously work. The only downside, societially speaking, would be those which fetishize the bees + sex. That's just not going to end well.
staindk 4y ago
In my experience people often want something on 'in the background' basically at all times. Music, a TV show, sports, a podcast, or a livestream of some sort. I'm guessing most of this guy's viewers aren't actively just watching him study, but rather have his stream open on their phone or a second screen while studying "with" the guy. Sounds like a great idea and something like this may have helped me back in the day. This[1] other comment mentions "body doubling" which sounds about right. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31303234 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31303234
- paulryanrogers 4y ago
  This does remind me of preferring to do homework in a moderately loud study hall at school instead of at home back in the late 90s. Then doing the same in quieter halls in college. Just feeling that others around me were in a similar situation was a motivator to just get the work done, and stop putting it off.
  - Forgeties79 4y ago
    A discord I’m on has a ping we use called “Office Hours.” Any given day 2-5 of us will be on the general voice channel chatting and working, with people muting/deafening if they need to be heads down or get a call or something. It’s really nice when my work is a bit more rote. As someone with ADHD having a background hum of activity is just really helpful too.
seydor 4y ago
Young people are much more lonely and isolated. Partly demographic decline, partly culture. They have a longing for connection as always though, and they find it online
doliveira 4y ago
I'm 27 and I kind of feel the same way. But what I do have an aversion to is the idea of watching digital influencers and being, well, influenced by them... It's not much different from old-fashioned celebrity worship, though. At least it's more productive.
- criddell 4y ago
  I think of it more as a digital version of studying in a library or coffee shop. I don’t think I’d classify the young man in the article as an influencer.
chenmike 4y ago
For me, the unsettling part is that this has to be done virtually now. I remember fondly during my college years the times I was studying in silence with my friends. We were bonding over the shared experience of working towards our goals together. And I felt motivated by being with them. There’s nothing weak-willed about benefiting from accountability devices. But I do wonder if the unidirectional nature of it (his followers know him and not vice versa) actually fulfills a social need for his followers rather than just feeling like it does.
- lupire 4y ago
  Eh, the strangers in the library aren't my lifelong friends, but I'm glad they are either.
the_only_law 4y ago
I had someone send me a bit of malware they had received (I like to pick it apart in my spare time occasionally). Too my shock, the guy asked if I could stream my work. No one even wants to watch me play games. I tried to explain that it was probably going to be slow and boring, but he insisted.
- yread 4y ago
  r/WatchPeopleCode used to be moderately popular. It's not a bad way to learn
- wirthjason 4y ago
  I don't think there's anything wrong with watching it to learn something new like malmare dissection. I can appreciate the rawness of it, even if some consider it "boring", because it accurately shows how it really is. Editing it out presents a false idea about what really happens. That said, watching something for the sake of it, without purpose or end goal feels odd4
sandworm101 4y ago
It isn't week will. It is a lack of confidence. Kids are socially aware. Group dynamics are more important than grades. They don't like doing anything on their own because that risks doing something that might not be socially acceptable. Studying with a partner means constant validation that studying is a worthwhile activity. It is like a young dog that will not settle until it sees another dog do so first. So it isn't lack of will rather the very modern need to comport with social norms that drives people to stream someone studying. It validates their decision to study too. Think of echo chambers/bubbles in politics. People think one thing, then find other people online who think the same. Finding other people saying the same things then reinforces their beliefs. So someone wanting to spend a few hours studying finds someone online doing the same, reinforcing their choice to study.
- Siira 4y ago
  There is some genuine insight here, but it is needlessly bundled with defending the kids. Blind conformity is bad, and falls under the umbrella of having a weak will.
  - sandworm101 4y ago
    Don't blame the kids for their blind conformity. That is dictated at them from above. Kids today live in fear of being singled out in an negative manner. It can destroy your future. Mistakes are now permanent. A viral video of you doing something stupid as a teenager might come up in job applications decades later. Getting caught drinking alcohol in the park on a Friday night might mean jail/expulsion from school. And don't get me started on grade inflation. Study the wrong material, bomb a test, and you can say goodbye to that 97% average needed for university applications. So every kid is desperate to make sure they are studying exactly the same material as everyone else. That is the only safe way to make sure you don't waste time on a tangent. Kids today do and should fear breaking social norms. They live in a very rigid society.
    - Forgeties79 4y ago
      > Kids today live in fear of being singled out in an negative manner. This is not a new phenomenon in the slightest. Bullying and teasing have been around forever. The only thing that changes are what people will be bullied and teased about, but ultimately it doesn’t impact whether the bullying happens. Kids will always find a way to identify themselves by what they are not, or single out someone for not conforming, even if it’s completely innocuous or out of their control. Hell adults do it too. Kids just don’t have the ability to couch it in dog whistles or cover it with some window dressing. They will pick on a kid for being different until an adult teaches them to respect differences. That has always been the case.
joeman1000 4y ago
I was talking about this today with my wife, who is incredibly introverted, but who actually does enjoy these ‘study with me’ videos. I had read a post on reddit where someone was asking for public zoom meetings where they could go ‘for the atmosphere’ of other people working, which helped them work. Like how you felt about this article, this reddit post rubbed me the wrong way. There was something weak, dirty, unsettling about that posters need for vicarious work. It made me think of those gross ‘mukbang’ videos which are popular now. Anyway, my wife explained that the videos encouraged her to focus, no more and no less. She is always comparing herself to others, so I guess this is why it helps her. I think zoom calls are different though. Very strange. I cannot study without silence, and can never study with people around. Horses for courses.
bezospen15 4y ago
Let's ignore the elephant in the room that there are much better platforms to do something like this on...
- criddell 4y ago
  Better depends on what you are optimizing for.
- lupire 4y ago
  The elephant in the room is that someone is doing something good on a platform you don't like, making the platform better?
jt2190 4y ago
> half a million people don’t have something better to do than watch someone study They’re not watching him study, he’s modeling studying behavior and his audience is leveraging that to trigger their own studying. (Mirror neurons are a thing.)
- PartiallyTyped 4y ago
  Not only that, from sociology we know that it introduces a form of accountability and collective effort mentality.
  - jt2190 4y ago
    Very interesting! (I was pretty loose with my "mirror neurons" reply, hoping that someone would provide corrections and/or more nuance.)
rightbyte 4y ago
There is a South Park episode about exactly this. With the message that the younger kids' new thing (watching streamers) being seriously lame. I.e. "youth these days" sometimes are just accurate.
astura 4y ago
Humans have been this way longer than you've been alive. When I was in college (early internet, pre social media) I found it MUCH easier to study in the library. I went from getting Cs in non-CS classes to getting As and Bs and my confidence shot up. Why? Because the library is for studying and I'm surrounded by other people doing the same. Absolutely nothing wrong with a virtual version of that.
300bps 4y ago
I’m in my 40s too and it made total sense to me. I’m more focused with work at Starbucks surrounded by other people than on my couch alone.
dstroot 4y ago
Thank you for putting into words exactly how I was feeling. I often find myself wondering how much time people spend on social media and wonder how much loss to society all this “wasted time” is - but of course it’s not “wasted” for the participants. They get something in return. It is no different than wondering in previous decades how much time people spent watching TV or reading books. It all depends on what content you consume and why. Come to think of it I spend a lot of time on HN….
- Spooky23 4y ago
  One the magic things about social media is that it’s like radio + tv all in one.
cronix 4y ago
Tim Pool threw a camera up on his chicken coop and makes about $1500-2k a day in super chats ("Chicken City" on YouTube). Super chats just trigger a song and some animated chickens dancing on an overlay. $36k a month. It's literally just a live feed of a chicken coop and once in awhile someone feeding/cleaning. Zoos should take note lol. He started it like 2 months ago and it keeps growing.
Aerroon 4y ago
>Or “do kids have such a weak will that they cannot study by themselves?” Yes, but this isn't new. Half of the job of a teacher is precisely this. They're there to make you do the work. After all everything the teacher teaches you is already there in the textbook. All you have to do to learn it is pick up the book and read it. But very few will actually do it without being prompted.
Merad 4y ago
I'm approaching 40 so I don't really disagree with you, but I do find it fascinating in its own way. I tried TikTok a couple years ago and deleted it after a week. I could tell that it was massaging my brain in the right ways to keep me scrolling and scrolling so that I ended up wasting tons of time in the app, and I didn't like it. The guy from TFA is essentially hijacking the algorithm to help break people free from the endless scrolling and time wasting that's encouraged by the algorithm. I assume he's benefiting from it, of course, but still it's an interesting commentary on the modern world that young people especially have to wade through.
ryandrake 4y ago
I'm also in my 40s and had the same "old man yells at cloud" judgmental reaction, but when you think about it, it's no different than watching TV. I think of all the dreck on that glowing rectangle that my generation wasted hours of each day on, passively consuming. It's pretty much the same as watching some streamer, so hey, whatever floats their boats. I think I'm just way too old to understand the specific allure of streaming random people talking about random, mundane things. My daughter watches a few streamers, and in my view, watching over her shoulder, they are all just bland, boring nobodies[1], talking about nothing in particular. They just talk about their day, talk about video games sometimes while playing, talk about other videos they're simultaneously watching (yes, streaming someone talking while the streamer himself streams another video!). It just seems such a pointless waste, but I think back to the stupid things I liked as a kid and I guess it's no different. I just hope she grows out of it and (with my parental guidance) starts getting motivated to do actual things rather than sit there watching other people do things. 1: I know some streamers have particular interesting or extraordinary talents, but I'm not talking about those shows.
sudhirj 4y ago
I very strongly doubt people are “watching him study”, more likely they’re studying along at the same time. This isn’t very different from a peloton class or a fitness instructor having people work out with them - he’s setting the pace with the pomodoro timer, setting the mood with unobtrusive music and keeping everyone accountable by doing it himself and setting an example.
vmception 4y ago
Think of it more like the world has always been Darwinian and this has made it slightly more accommodating for people that would get weeded out from forms of social/upwards mobility.
hombre_fatal 4y ago
I've always felt the same about Twitch in general. If I had to choose between the two, I'd much rather my kid waste his time playing games than watching someone else play games. At least do something. I managed to even make Twitch a daily habit for a year in my 20s, so I understand the allure of it just like I understand the allure of passively consuming anything else. I was never proud of it.

nightski 4y ago

I'm in my upper 30s and I can relate to the post. Am by no means lonely or alone (I have a wife, family, and friends all around). But for me some times it is nice just to know someone out there is doing the same thing as you. Whether it is studying a book or any solo activity I find it inspiring/motivating. It's not a matter of having a weak will either as I have learned plenty of things on my own (in fact I tend to learn the best through self study). But all I can explain it with is that it is motivating and comforting.

staindk 4y ago
As I mentioned in my own reply to the top-level commenter, this[1] notion of 'body doubling' is interesting to read about. I can definitely relate to it. Every time I studied "with" a classmate at e.g. the university library I would end up still just studying by myself, though just knowing there are others around doing the same/similar thing had a positive effect on me. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31303234 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31303234
- wirthjason 4y ago
  I’m a firm believer in many of the things mentioned. When I study with someone there’s a real life component. We take breaks together, chat, ask each other questions. Also, studying in common places can remove environmental distractions. For some reason during finals time I had the urge to clean the apartment. I can relate to the physical in-person-ness of the experience. I cannot relate to the non-interactive, passive watching of it.
  - staindk 4y ago
    No idea if the study streamer in the article does this, but a lot of popular streamers make it a priority to interact with their viewers - e.g. CohhCarnage, Day9, Pestily. It's a great thing to do if there is some amount of 'down time' between games or during loading screens and such, but from what I've seen it does help make their viewers feel more heard and such. In the article they mention he studies with a pomodoro timer, so I guess he interacts with the "stream chat" during the off time and such. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Definitely not for everyone! But I can see the appeal.

chownie 4y ago

> Or “do kids have such a weak will that they cannot study by themselves?” For what it's worth, people have been heading to libraries and coffee shops for the communal-work environment for ages, this is just the parasocial analogue to that practice. Set and setting, not just for drugs!

snek_case 4y ago
I clicked on the post thinking it must be because the streamer is a hot young woman. That was the stereotype of popular streamer doing something uninteresting that came to my mind based on what's been going on with the game streamer community on twitch. Some girl in a microbikini with fake glasses pretenting do read a book and winking at the camera from time to time. Like, yeah, ok, I'm sure you could get as many viewers with sexy beekeeping. It actually seems a lot more wholesome that people are wanting a virtual "study pal" as motivation. That's pretty normal and healthy. We're a social species. If this helps people not feel alone and it helps them get started, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it. I'm sure some people also watch this guy because they think he's attractive, but at least he's giving them a positive stereotype, attractive because he's doing something good for his own development vs attention grabbing and attractive because skimpy outfit.
- sandworm101 4y ago
  >> sexy beekeeping. Greenlit. 12 episodes. Where do I send the check? Do we see them being stung or is that CGI?
  - sidpatil 4y ago
    Bee Movie came out in 2007.
  - b112 4y ago
    You made me think, I started wondering about the beekeeping outfit, which is typically thick, loose, baggy. But I bet a latex catsuit would prevent stingers, show all the curves, and fall right inline with this concept. If anyone wants to seriously pursue this, I have the perfect Quebec actress for this role. Bam, take it up a notch! Sexy french, latex clad, beekeeping. "Zee bees, zey are my passion mon cheri" This could seriously work. The only downside, societially speaking, would be those which fetishize the bees + sex. That's just not going to end well.

staindk 4y ago

In my experience people often want something on 'in the background' basically at all times. Music, a TV show, sports, a podcast, or a livestream of some sort. I'm guessing most of this guy's viewers aren't actively just watching him study, but rather have his stream open on their phone or a second screen while studying "with" the guy. Sounds like a great idea and something like this may have helped me back in the day. This[1] other comment mentions "body doubling" which sounds about right. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31303234 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31303234

paulryanrogers 4y ago
This does remind me of preferring to do homework in a moderately loud study hall at school instead of at home back in the late 90s. Then doing the same in quieter halls in college. Just feeling that others around me were in a similar situation was a motivator to just get the work done, and stop putting it off.
- Forgeties79 4y ago
  A discord I’m on has a ping we use called “Office Hours.” Any given day 2-5 of us will be on the general voice channel chatting and working, with people muting/deafening if they need to be heads down or get a call or something. It’s really nice when my work is a bit more rote. As someone with ADHD having a background hum of activity is just really helpful too.

seydor 4y ago

Young people are much more lonely and isolated. Partly demographic decline, partly culture. They have a longing for connection as always though, and they find it online

doliveira 4y ago

I'm 27 and I kind of feel the same way. But what I do have an aversion to is the idea of watching digital influencers and being, well, influenced by them... It's not much different from old-fashioned celebrity worship, though. At least it's more productive.

criddell 4y ago
I think of it more as a digital version of studying in a library or coffee shop. I don’t think I’d classify the young man in the article as an influencer.

chenmike 4y ago

For me, the unsettling part is that this has to be done virtually now. I remember fondly during my college years the times I was studying in silence with my friends. We were bonding over the shared experience of working towards our goals together. And I felt motivated by being with them. There’s nothing weak-willed about benefiting from accountability devices. But I do wonder if the unidirectional nature of it (his followers know him and not vice versa) actually fulfills a social need for his followers rather than just feeling like it does.

lupire 4y ago
Eh, the strangers in the library aren't my lifelong friends, but I'm glad they are either.

the_only_law 4y ago

I had someone send me a bit of malware they had received (I like to pick it apart in my spare time occasionally). Too my shock, the guy asked if I could stream my work. No one even wants to watch me play games. I tried to explain that it was probably going to be slow and boring, but he insisted.

yread 4y ago
r/WatchPeopleCode used to be moderately popular. It's not a bad way to learn
wirthjason 4y ago
I don't think there's anything wrong with watching it to learn something new like malmare dissection. I can appreciate the rawness of it, even if some consider it "boring", because it accurately shows how it really is. Editing it out presents a false idea about what really happens. That said, watching something for the sake of it, without purpose or end goal feels odd4

sandworm101 4y ago

It isn't week will. It is a lack of confidence. Kids are socially aware. Group dynamics are more important than grades. They don't like doing anything on their own because that risks doing something that might not be socially acceptable. Studying with a partner means constant validation that studying is a worthwhile activity. It is like a young dog that will not settle until it sees another dog do so first. So it isn't lack of will rather the very modern need to comport with social norms that drives people to stream someone studying. It validates their decision to study too. Think of echo chambers/bubbles in politics. People think one thing, then find other people online who think the same. Finding other people saying the same things then reinforces their beliefs. So someone wanting to spend a few hours studying finds someone online doing the same, reinforcing their choice to study.

Siira 4y ago
There is some genuine insight here, but it is needlessly bundled with defending the kids. Blind conformity is bad, and falls under the umbrella of having a weak will.
- sandworm101 4y ago
  Don't blame the kids for their blind conformity. That is dictated at them from above. Kids today live in fear of being singled out in an negative manner. It can destroy your future. Mistakes are now permanent. A viral video of you doing something stupid as a teenager might come up in job applications decades later. Getting caught drinking alcohol in the park on a Friday night might mean jail/expulsion from school. And don't get me started on grade inflation. Study the wrong material, bomb a test, and you can say goodbye to that 97% average needed for university applications. So every kid is desperate to make sure they are studying exactly the same material as everyone else. That is the only safe way to make sure you don't waste time on a tangent. Kids today do and should fear breaking social norms. They live in a very rigid society.
  - Forgeties79 4y ago
    > Kids today live in fear of being singled out in an negative manner. This is not a new phenomenon in the slightest. Bullying and teasing have been around forever. The only thing that changes are what people will be bullied and teased about, but ultimately it doesn’t impact whether the bullying happens. Kids will always find a way to identify themselves by what they are not, or single out someone for not conforming, even if it’s completely innocuous or out of their control. Hell adults do it too. Kids just don’t have the ability to couch it in dog whistles or cover it with some window dressing. They will pick on a kid for being different until an adult teaches them to respect differences. That has always been the case.

joeman1000 4y ago

I was talking about this today with my wife, who is incredibly introverted, but who actually does enjoy these ‘study with me’ videos. I had read a post on reddit where someone was asking for public zoom meetings where they could go ‘for the atmosphere’ of other people working, which helped them work. Like how you felt about this article, this reddit post rubbed me the wrong way. There was something weak, dirty, unsettling about that posters need for vicarious work. It made me think of those gross ‘mukbang’ videos which are popular now. Anyway, my wife explained that the videos encouraged her to focus, no more and no less. She is always comparing herself to others, so I guess this is why it helps her. I think zoom calls are different though. Very strange. I cannot study without silence, and can never study with people around. Horses for courses.

bezospen15 4y ago

Let's ignore the elephant in the room that there are much better platforms to do something like this on...

criddell 4y ago
Better depends on what you are optimizing for.
lupire 4y ago
The elephant in the room is that someone is doing something good on a platform you don't like, making the platform better?

jt2190 4y ago

> half a million people don’t have something better to do than watch someone study They’re not watching him study, he’s modeling studying behavior and his audience is leveraging that to trigger their own studying. (Mirror neurons are a thing.)

PartiallyTyped 4y ago
Not only that, from sociology we know that it introduces a form of accountability and collective effort mentality.
- jt2190 4y ago
  Very interesting! (I was pretty loose with my "mirror neurons" reply, hoping that someone would provide corrections and/or more nuance.)

rightbyte 4y ago

There is a South Park episode about exactly this. With the message that the younger kids' new thing (watching streamers) being seriously lame. I.e. "youth these days" sometimes are just accurate.

astura 4y ago

Humans have been this way longer than you've been alive. When I was in college (early internet, pre social media) I found it MUCH easier to study in the library. I went from getting Cs in non-CS classes to getting As and Bs and my confidence shot up. Why? Because the library is for studying and I'm surrounded by other people doing the same. Absolutely nothing wrong with a virtual version of that.

300bps 4y ago

I’m in my 40s too and it made total sense to me. I’m more focused with work at Starbucks surrounded by other people than on my couch alone.

dstroot 4y ago

Thank you for putting into words exactly how I was feeling. I often find myself wondering how much time people spend on social media and wonder how much loss to society all this “wasted time” is - but of course it’s not “wasted” for the participants. They get something in return. It is no different than wondering in previous decades how much time people spent watching TV or reading books. It all depends on what content you consume and why. Come to think of it I spend a lot of time on HN….

Spooky23 4y ago
One the magic things about social media is that it’s like radio + tv all in one.

cronix 4y ago

Tim Pool threw a camera up on his chicken coop and makes about $1500-2k a day in super chats ("Chicken City" on YouTube). Super chats just trigger a song and some animated chickens dancing on an overlay. $36k a month. It's literally just a live feed of a chicken coop and once in awhile someone feeding/cleaning. Zoos should take note lol. He started it like 2 months ago and it keeps growing.

Aerroon 4y ago

>Or “do kids have such a weak will that they cannot study by themselves?” Yes, but this isn't new. Half of the job of a teacher is precisely this. They're there to make you do the work. After all everything the teacher teaches you is already there in the textbook. All you have to do to learn it is pick up the book and read it. But very few will actually do it without being prompted.

Merad 4y ago

I'm approaching 40 so I don't really disagree with you, but I do find it fascinating in its own way. I tried TikTok a couple years ago and deleted it after a week. I could tell that it was massaging my brain in the right ways to keep me scrolling and scrolling so that I ended up wasting tons of time in the app, and I didn't like it. The guy from TFA is essentially hijacking the algorithm to help break people free from the endless scrolling and time wasting that's encouraged by the algorithm. I assume he's benefiting from it, of course, but still it's an interesting commentary on the modern world that young people especially have to wade through.

ryandrake 4y ago

I'm also in my 40s and had the same "old man yells at cloud" judgmental reaction, but when you think about it, it's no different than watching TV. I think of all the dreck on that glowing rectangle that my generation wasted hours of each day on, passively consuming. It's pretty much the same as watching some streamer, so hey, whatever floats their boats. I think I'm just way too old to understand the specific allure of streaming random people talking about random, mundane things. My daughter watches a few streamers, and in my view, watching over her shoulder, they are all just bland, boring nobodies[1], talking about nothing in particular. They just talk about their day, talk about video games sometimes while playing, talk about other videos they're simultaneously watching (yes, streaming someone talking while the streamer himself streams another video!). It just seems such a pointless waste, but I think back to the stupid things I liked as a kid and I guess it's no different. I just hope she grows out of it and (with my parental guidance) starts getting motivated to do actual things rather than sit there watching other people do things. 1: I know some streamers have particular interesting or extraordinary talents, but I'm not talking about those shows.

sudhirj 4y ago

I very strongly doubt people are “watching him study”, more likely they’re studying along at the same time. This isn’t very different from a peloton class or a fitness instructor having people work out with them - he’s setting the pace with the pomodoro timer, setting the mood with unobtrusive music and keeping everyone accountable by doing it himself and setting an example.

vmception 4y ago

Think of it more like the world has always been Darwinian and this has made it slightly more accommodating for people that would get weeded out from forms of social/upwards mobility.

hombre_fatal 4y ago

I've always felt the same about Twitch in general. If I had to choose between the two, I'd much rather my kid waste his time playing games than watching someone else play games. At least do something. I managed to even make Twitch a daily habit for a year in my 20s, so I understand the allure of it just like I understand the allure of passively consuming anything else. I was never proud of it.