Thread by @thesistakaren

Today, September 1st, I won't be streaming on Twitch for #ADayOffFromTwitch. I'm replacing my typical offline image with this one so that visitors will know why I'm not live.

A few thoughts about why, *if you can*, participating in this is important. A🧵 1/

Thanks to the work of many, including @RekItRaven and @LuciaEverblack, #TwitchDoBetter has drawn attention from the media & organizations like @ColorofChange. This movement has already been tremendously successful & standing together to stay off Twitch furthers that point. 2/

I understand that many cannot participate for many reasons, and from the beginning, the organizers have been adamant that we need to respect those who are unable. But people will be watching to see if there is a visible impact on Twitch's viewership. This definitely matters. 3/

This will not have much, if any, of a financial impact on Twitch, and that's fine. We know that Twitch is working on this & can't be transparent. But this also supports those of us who have been affected by these raids. But the ongoing burden of the hate raids is real. 4/

I am not interested in pseudo-intellectual debates about if this is "performative." #TwitchDoBetter has succeeded in putting pressure on Twitch to prioritize ending hate raids. They've met with Raven & we have the support of several advocacy organizations. 5/

This success is *because* people have been loud about the need for change. There's nothing performative about that. That is the work that matters. Standing with us in solidarity in taking #ADayOffFromTwitch supports the message that we urgently need Twitch to do better. 6/

If you haven't seen my previous video about what hate raids are, check it out below. I am so grateful for the work @RekItRaven, @LuciaEverblack, and more have done. I'm thrilled to see how many folks are joining us in solidarity. Thanks for reading! 7/7

https://twitter.com/thesistakaren/status/1431275200365084677