Enable No-Viewer Count Mode and Desired Content Selections
There are many good posts in this section that try to address the issues with highlighting relevant content for viewers and support discovery of channels where viewers will be engaged in a way that leads them to support the content creator and platform. The problem is that Twitch has become increasingly solely depended on a cornerstone of viewer count which provides little to no value and detracts from the actual value and outcomes of engagement on the platform.
Channels are often avoided or attended because the primary metric is focused on viewer count. This is basic psychology at work and here are some examples that elaborate on this concept the premise for this post is presented.
<10
Channels with 1 to 3 viewers appear to have ‘no attendance’ which is psychologically off-putting regardless of the fact that is not representative of the professionalism, skill or quality of the streamer and their content. This psychological discrimination can honestly continue to be true with up to not more than 10 viewers again because of the primacy of viewer count.
10 to 50 or 100
Channels with 10-50 viewers can begin to look attractive for people looking for personal engagement and belonging with community. This could have been truer with channels of lower viewer counts that were simply missed opportunities but in practice this is seen on the platform. Channels with 50-100 viewers can additionally attract people who want to be able to consume content but not necessarily be personally actively engaged with the content. Again, this could have been truer with channels of lower viewer counts but it is not possible to determine given the primacy of viewer count on the platform.
100+
When viewer count gets above 100 it becomes increasingly unlikely that viewers will get any personal response or interaction with the streamer. Often channels will turn on Follower-Only or Subscriber-Only chat in order to make communication with chat at all manageable and as viewer count increases or features like Slow-Chat or Emote-Only. Often these can be channels that do not actually interact with chat but allow viewers to “talk among yourselves” about the content and only drawing from specifically tagged chats with a question for instance.
[There may be even more relevant detail and analysis related to this and I welcome those with the knowledge and appropriate background to increase the value and relevance of this information by contributing to the comments.]
Recommendation: No Viewer Count Mode
This feedback is to recommend the implementation of a trial feature or mode that enables viewers to browse Twitch that completely hides the count of current viewers. This could be piloted once a minimum viable product has been developed and I feel confident would be met with a mostly positive reception. Recalling the above examples, the obvious trends become a sub-set of personality and mood that viewers approach the platform with and what they are seeking out of the entertainment and content.
Consider the increased value then to being able to make permanent or temporary selections based on your desired outcome as a viewer from the platform. These could include I would like to find a community that has certain characteristics or features certain content. Channels that feature people who look like me, channels featuring content I am interested in or channels that feature a streamer with certain characteristics and a variety of entertainment.
Recommendation: Desired Content Selection
The shortcomings with the current tag system are apparent in several other posts and need to be addressed, including the necessity of the platform for these to be hierarchical and the problem with misuse based on the elective nature of tags by the streamer. The following recommendation is related to the above recommendation for No Viewer Count Mode to assist with the formation of a system that benefits the viewers of the platform.
Implement a system for streamer selection as well as exit-interviews or even in-chat polls or follow-up emails for ratings that can help inform a measure for the channel. The ratings questions must be designed in a way that does not allow a tendency toward negative-to-positive reviews but assesses the channel on a spectrum of relevant characteristics. Initially these questions would be a do you agree since they must begin electively by the channel owner.
Do you agree with the following statements about CHANNEL?
[Channel-elected characteristics to validate could be placed here]
I feel a sense of community and belonging
I feel a sense of professionalism and quality
What would you say best describes CHANNEL on 3/5 occasions?
Chilled ------ Energetic
Focuses on Chat ----- Focuses on Content
Variety ---------- “Game” Dedicated
Silly/Funny ------- Serious/Intellectual
Family Friendly ----- Mature Audience
[There may be even more relevant detail and analysis related to this and I welcome those with the knowledge and appropriate background to increase the value and relevance of this information by contributing to the comments.]
These characteristics would form the basis of selections by viewers who can select what they are looking for when they come to the platform for their entertainment.
Such as the following.
[ ] Channels that feature giveaways and sponsored products
[ ] Professional broadcasts (more produced setting)
[ ] Developer/Brand focused
[ ] Game/Content focused
[ ] Variety content
[ ] Community and belonging
[ ] Chat engagement
[ ] Chat games and points redemptions
[ ] Personal broadcasts (less produced setting)
What do you think? Could a viewer-count-less mode work for Twitch? What kinds of selections should be included? How could these systems be best implemented?
Thank you for seriously considering feedback from the community and seeking to continually improve the platform for both streamers and viewers.