DEEP DIVE

Twitch’s IRL feature is a vlog-style live streaming platform for streamers to share what they do IRL, in real life. Unlike traditional Twitch streaming, which commonly features streamers playing video games, Twitch IRL is designed to provide insight into the everyday lives of streamers outside of gaming.

As streamers include footage of them out and about, fans, randos and/or haters can interact with streamers IRL, contributing to more engaging content, breaking down barriers between celebrity online and IRL. Issues of safety and privacy come up with more public interactions.

The style is particularly popular among female streamers (sometimes referred to as “bikini streamers”), many of whom include  sexually suggestive content in their IRL streams. This topic has led to debate about hyper-sexualized images of women in media, camming, censorship and slut shaming in relation to Twitch IRL.