Shout outs, otherwise known as Twitch alerts, are “streamer-specific audio visual clips that play over the stream video to signify events like subscriptions and donations” (Jackson, 2021).
Indeed, Twitch alerts began as a means for pursuing financial gain, both by streamers and by the developers of the bots and applications which enabled them (Partin, 2020). However, they have come to find new functions in reinforcing and building the spirit of the community. Nathan Jackson in his piece Understanding Memetic Media And Collective Identity Through Streamer Persona On Twitch.Tv (2021) notes how viewers can use shout outs at key moments to show “agency” in dictating the flow of the stream, as well as to contribute to building its memetic qualities. Streamers in turn read these messages and literally shout out the contributors, thanking them and further building connections with their audiences.
A possible path for future research is examining whether shout outs have influenced other Twitch features, like the channel points system and emotes, as they too work as a means for community building through greater viewer agency and collective brand and meme creation.
