LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The Twitch community was left in shock as news of Pokimane's comments on xQc's Kick deal sent ripples throughout the platform. Fans and critics alike were quick to express their opinions on the controversial issue, with some lauding Pokimane for standing up for her principles and others dismissing her as hypocritical. Regardless of one's stance on the matter, it is undeniable that Pokimane's comments have sparked a much-needed conversation about the values that content creators hold dear and the lengths they are willing to go to achieve financial success.
The fact that Kick has acquired some of Twitch's top talent as part of its aggressive recruitment strategy cannot be denied. However, what remains up for debate is the ethical implications of such partnerships. While some might argue that joining Kick is simply a matter of furthering one's career and earning more money, others, like Pokimane, view it as a compromise of one's integrity. It is fascinating to consider how the values of individuals can differ so wildly and how such differences play out in the realm of influencer marketing.
'Morals and ethics about what?'
When Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel announced his $100 million non-exclusive deal with Kick, the news was met with mixed reactions from the streaming community, with some congratulating him while others criticized Kick for its backing by Stake, a gambling website. In the midst of this drama, Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys spoke out against it, stating that she wouldn’t have taken the deal for $10 million as it went against her beliefs and principles. This led to a heated response from xQc, who took to both his stream and Twitter to defend himself against her comments.
“Morals and ethics about what? You have to be more specific, you can’t just say morals and ethics. I mean, that thing is pretty obvious when you talk about other topics,” xQc said during his June 20 stream. “What morals and ethics is there to f*cking breach? I genuinely don’t get it, about what? Oh, it’s the same gamba equals the win argument. So instead of doing the win argument, it’s layering morals and ethics on top of that. I’m not pressed, I just think it’s weird under that pretext because later down the line, when they’re all proven wrong, nobody will go back and correct the thing by saying ‘Hey you know what guys, it wasn’t about gamba.’ They never go back and fix this.”
On Twitter, he attacked Pokimane and others for "flexing" their ethics a few days later.
“Flexing your morals and ethics on other people around you comes from pure insecurity. Nothing else,” xQc tweeted.
'Pokimane is trying to gain attention and maintain relevance'
Amouranth, who is also a new member of the Kick platform, suggested that Pokimane was deliberately inserting herself into the ongoing discussion about content deletion to remain engaged with viewers and accrue views and travel opportunities. Essentially, she believes that by making these comments, Pokimane is trying to gain attention and maintain relevance at a time when she is not as present. However, Amouranth made it clear that her intention was not to harbor any negative feelings toward Pokimane. Instead, she wanted to offer her opinion on the underlying motive behind her comments. While others may see Pokimane's involvement in the ongoing discussion about content deletion as genuine, Amouranth suggests that there may be an ulterior motive at play.
Overall, the recent controversy has once again highlighted the competitive nature of the streaming world. As more and more individuals join platforms such as Twitch and Kick, there will undoubtedly be tensions and disagreement amongst streamers as they seek to gain viewership and maintain relevance in a saturated market.
'Self-righteous'
Corinna Kopf, a popular streamer, recently took to Twitter to express her disagreement with Pokimane's comments about Kick. Corinna did not hold back, referring to Pokimane as "self-righteous" in the way she conveyed her thoughts. The use of such a strong description can really capture the reader's attention and emphasize Corinna's point. By choosing to share her opinion publicly on a platform like Twitter, Corinna demonstrated how social media can be a powerful tool for expressing our views and engaging in discussions with others.
"You’re putting your moral opinion on the internet, what do you expect? especially when you sound so self-righteous," she said.
'You get mad all the f**king time'
Asmongold also backed xQc by saying that, according to some fans, the YouTube comments section is a "biased" sample. The World of Warcraft streamer said, "Every sample is biased." According to him, people were siding with xQc amidst the debacle because he had nothing against Pokimane.
"'It's a very biased sample.' Every sample is going to be biased, right? Like, my channel. You know, everybody knows that xQc is in front of the screen. I don't really do anything with Pokimane. Right? Like, I don't have anything against her, right? But, I don't do anything with her, either. So people are obviously going to take his side. Everything is going to be biased."
It is impossible for content creators to "win over" everyone, Asmongold elaborated, "I mean, again, you can always - the thing is... you've got to remember, there are probably a billion people in the world that f**king hate you! But there are seven billion in the world. So, that means maybe seven billion won't. You're never going to win over, man! Like, you waste your time and you get so upset. You get mad all the f**king time. Getting pissed off about what people think about you. It's whatever."
