Did Twitch do better? Streamers speak out after viral campaign against racist hate raids

The summer of 2021 saw #TwitchDoBetter trend as the platform came under heavy criticism, after hate raids with racist bots spamming chats and corrupted streams. How have things changed since?

Twitch remains the top streaming site in the world. Despite rival YouTube making some big moves and acquiring top talent such as TimTheTatman, Twitch has maintained its position, but it hasn’t come without criticism.

In 2021, malicious users were using bots to “hate raid” streamers of colors and overload their chats with offensive language. This eventually led to the #TwitchDoBetter campaign where streamers raised awareness of the problems and the lack of tools to deal with them.

Now, a few months later and the dust has settled with Twitch finally offering up so methods for streamers to remain safe, but has it been enough?

The fallout of #TwitchDoBetter

Streamer RekItRaven, one of the larger voices in the movement, spoke with Dexerto and explained how she felt Twitch handled the situation.

“Twitch handled it as quickly as possible, but the tools we’ve recently been given (needing a phone number to chat, parameters for account ages to be able to chat, etc.) were long overdue,” she said.

“There have been improvements though, but there are still breakthrough accounts that are able to harass people. That being said, those accounts are fewer and further between and are able to be dealt with easier.”

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Despite the praise, she still believes that there is a lot more that needs to be done, primarily with their messaging and communication with streamers on the platform.

“I still believe that they need to be more aware of how they communicate things,” she noted. “There’s a massive lack of trust in the community in regards to Twitch and how they word things.”

Other platforms step up

While Twitch may not be as communicative, others have stepped up, such as StreamElements. RekItRaven was among 19 others named as recipients of its 2021 Creator Diversity Program.

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The program is designed to provide content creators in underrepresented groups with streaming equipment, support, and services to optimize their careers and help them grow.

“It means that I am able to take steps in this industry that I may not have been afforded because of my race, ethnicity, gender, so on and so forth,” RekItRaven praised the initiative. “And if I’m honest, it’s also validating.”

As for how more platforms can handle hate and be more connected with their communities, the streamer recommends they start listening more.

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“Know that the internet (and therefore streaming platforms) are a reflection of society and they’re only as good as you allow them. If you allow hate to breed, that’s what people will see,” she explained.

Let’s hope that Twitch can continue to improve its site and continue to take measures to do away with the abuse taking place on it.