We spoke with Cristinini about the challenges of streaming: “I don’t have what I have to be a woman, I have it because I deserve it.”

More and more people are immersed in the world streaming looking for direct, sincere and innovative content. Gone are the days when video game broadcasts were the sole asset of platforms. Nowadays, this type of video is triumphant along with others as varied as model building or ASMR.

In this complex world, some creators stand out for their transgressive nature. Through his own storytelling, Ibai was one of the pioneers of this new way of understanding communication, anticipating an increasingly present future. Although not all that glitters is gold. He streaming This is a world dominated by men, both among professionals and among spectators. A hostile profession in which women are not welcome and where misogyny flourishes among a brotherhood of creators who do not want to share “their space”.

The truth is that women have always been there. Whether you play video games or commentate on sporting events, streamers They clearly demonstrated their capabilities. However, platforms remain difficult to access, promotions are shunned, and their work is systematically despised because they are only commodities in the eyes of the industry.

streamers they didn’t like women

Changing this situation is difficult, although the first step is to know. For this in hypertext We spoke with digital feminist distributor Laura Almenara, creator of the @feminismoen8bits account. This expert points out that the challenges women creators face are mainly related to two issues: Glass ceiling and bullying.

Almenara argues that the biggest difficulty in women’s access to streaming This is also common in other masculinized professional sectors and “results in invisibility and fewer reward opportunities”. Something that is confirmed when we look at the numbers. Analysis 100 streamers The most relevant Hispanic on Twitch, conducted by Everriculum in 2022, shows that only 8% of them are women. And in addition, they have only 5.34% of the total audience of the platform.

Along with access barriers, we also detect gender-based harassment. On this occasion, Almenara refers to a study by Indiana University (USA), which analyzes the behavior of the audience. Among the comments streamers Men read words like “winner”, “level”, “monster” or “battle”. However streamers Women get terms like “whore”, “boobs”, “cunt”, “mona”, or “get married”.

But the bullying doesn’t end there. Almenara also talks about insults – or outright expulsion – in online games, the deliberate blocking of avatars, sexual harassment and invasion of privacy. situations that threaten streamers and this in many cases forces them off the platforms. All this, the expert notes, “is not accidental, this is misogyny in virtual spaces.”

No wonder Twitch washes its hands

Given this future, it’s no surprise that women are a minority on the platforms. streaming. Who wants to go to a place where humiliation, humiliation and bullying await? The presence of women on Twitch is still small – 35% in 2021 – but it is increasing daily with thousands streamers make their way in an environment that never tires of reminding them that they don’t want them to be there.

In fact, the Amazon-owned platform has been embroiled in several scandals due to its inaction against toxic speech. In October 2021, it was the victim of a security breach that revealed its source code among thousands of other sensitive data. The perpetrators of the leak released a statement accusing Twitch of being a “disgusting and toxic cesspool” and called for “increased competition.”

The incident took place just a month after the day of the boycott announced by streamers from around the world to claim their defense against the practices common on the platform known as raid hatred, mobilization persecution of specific users.

Laura Almenara denounces that much needs to be changed. “The main thing is that the tools to combat harassment are effective,” he demands. “Because there are never enough of them and they end up fooling them, which makes us feel insecure in the vast virtual space.” In addition, he points out should be encouraged to work streamers”. Something that can only be achieved through “50% quotas”. In this sense, he emphasizes the fundamental role of representing the future of women in streaming. “And, of course, education,” the expert concludes.

women streaming counterattack

Despite all that remains to be done, there are more daring women battling digital machismo every day. Hundreds of creators making their way into the world streaming so girls who want to commit to it can do so without putting themselves in danger or ignoring them.

IN hypertextto better understand the scale of the challenges and challenges companies are currently facing. streamers, we spoke to @Cristinini, one of the most important creators in our country, followed by 3.2 million people on her Twitch account alone. This is what he told us.

How would you define what you do?

My job is to create content on social networks, entertaining thousands of people from all over the world. I also host all kinds of events, not just related to content creators, from boxing nights to award ceremonies, cooking shows, and events for companies like Amazon and/or HBO. I also collaborate as a traditional sports reporter with DAZN.

Is it hard to be a woman in the world streaming? What did you notice?

It’s hard to be a woman in general, not only in the world streaming. But how streaming As for me, I always thought that we have a glass ceiling beyond which we cannot move on, no matter how hard we work and no matter how hard we try. Because while you have to be good and stand out with your personality in order to make a living in streamingIt is also important to participate in projects and be heard day in and day out. streamers what are they upstairs

Although I have always been invited to all the series, events, and I have always felt great and welcomed by all my colleagues, it is a fact that There are things that are only reserved for them, either by kinship, or because it is more convenient for them … Even various jokes. Everything adds up and in the end it means we can’t grow any more. It is also true that I believe that all this is gradually changing, and I am sure that there will be some creator who will break this ceiling, and this question will lose its meaning in a few years.

Have you ever felt that your professional colleagues disrespected you or belittled your work?

Yes. Constantly. Not from people I interact with on a daily basis, but from people I don’t interact with that much, who reduce my work to “they only see you as jerks” and/or “they give you everything for being woman”. I was also accused of getting close to guys out of curiosity. It’s like you can’t have friends on the platform because they will immediately accuse you of using them for climbing.

Have you had any awkward situations with a subscriber? Have you received hate messages?

No. I’m really comfortable with my followers. Yes, I had situations that are difficult to classify, but these are not followers. They are just people who are unwell and have some kind of obsession. AND yes i got hate messagesdeath, people wanting me to have cancer and for me to die, among other things.

What is the most difficult thing for you about being a woman in the world of sports? streaming?

Having to constantly prove that I deserve to be where I am and that I don’t have what I have to be a woman, I have it because I deserve it.

What do you think should be changed to improve the experience for women? streamers and that their work is recognized?

Society as a whole must change, and in this … we are still very green.