In light of the new ASMR meta on Twitch, streamer Pokimane called the site a "ticking time bomb," voicing her concerns about the blowback non-suggestive ASMR streamers and other adult-aged content creators may face in the future.
The ASMR meta came following Twitch's hot tub meta, which died down after the platform released an official statement on the situation. Twitch decided to start a new category for streams where the hosts brandish swimwear, but many fans weren't satisfied with this course of action. Rather, many had hoped Twitch would ban sexualized content altogether. In response, Twitch is now seeing the rise of the new ASMR meta. For those not in the know, ASMR is a trending genre often featuring satisfying noises and actions, such as the gentle clacking of a keyboard. But on Twitch, the ASMR category has been taken over by streamers simulating ear-licking in return for subs, sometimes while sprawling out their legs on a bed.
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Many users have had something to say about the new controversy surrounding Twitch, including notable streamer xQc. In a recent Just Chatting session, Pokimane also commented on ASMR streaming and the problem it creates. She called back to a prediction she made during the height of the hot tub meta, saying that streamers will find "another way" to push the envelope following the new Pools, Hot Tubs, and Beaches category.
Pokimane also doesn't believe that banning certain streamers is a long-term solution. Even after Amouranth and Indiefoxx were banned indefinitely for their ear-licking streams, the ASMR category is still covered with that same type of content, overshadowing the non-sexual ASMR streamers, another concern Pokimane voiced. "I feel really, really bad for legitimate ASMRtists," she said. Pokimane referred to the time she dabbled in ASMR, explaining how much upkeep and creativity producing that kind of content requires, and how frustrating it might be to see others licking their mics and shooting to the top with little to no effort.
As for the ticking time bomb that Pokimane was referring to, she cited YouTube's Adpocalypse, an event back in 2017 where a massive number of advertisers pulled their ads from YouTube, consequently impacting many channels with adult audiences. "I really hope it doesn't get to that point with Twitch," she said, explaining that many adult streamers could be labeled as "mature" whether or not their produce sexualized content and have their ads pulled much like Amouranth's demonetization.
Once again, the OfflineTV member blames Twitch's lack of clear guidelines for the "root cause" of sexualized streams, as well as the way it organizes and labels content. Still, when Twitch released a statement about the hot tub meta, it vowed to update its policies "in the coming months," so more specific rules regarding sexually suggestive content could be on their way.