Twitch megastar Imane 'Pokimane' Anys has offered her take as to why viewers continue to drop large donations to content creators who have already accumulated more money than they could ever hope to spend.
It's no secret that the biggest Twitch streamers out there make most of their money via brand partnerships and commercial deals. There are also the tiered subscriptions that offer fans different levels of access. But donations remain one of the easiest and most reliable ways to chuck some money in the direction of your favourite content creators.
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Of course there are critics out there who feel donating to streamers who already make millions through sponsors and brand partners is missing the point. They argue the money you're donating could always go to smaller Twitch streamers who don't work with major brands and actually need your cash to keep doing what they do. Maybe it should work like that! But it doesn't.
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During a recent stream (thanks, Dexerto), Anys reasoned that most people still donate to big streamers such as herself is because they want to get noticed. She believes viewers get a thrill from the idea of being shouted out by their favourite creator, and the bigger that creator, the more money needs to be donated to catch their eye.
"People don't go as far to think 'how much does this person need my money?'," Anys said in response to a question on Reddit about why people donate. "People donate because they want someone's attention. And if anything, the richer someone becomes the more valuable their attention becomes. We all know why. Because most people don't - we're not all spending money logically twenty-four-seven. We do things for other reasons."
I know Anys is right. But the fact that we live in a world where what she's saying is right makes me deeply, deeply sad.