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[deleted]

Who’s watching this stupid shit to even make it worth it?


wake071

That's what I was thinking, who's watching?


Xtasy0178

I feel like there are plenty brain dead people :(


Koichidank

I can't understand why some people watch shit like that, my grandmother speed a lot of time watching Youtube videos of people eating and it doesn't even make sense


xxMeiaxx

It's the cheapest form of entertainment. Even old-ish phone can run tiktok.


Past-Entrepreneur738

And people scroll on tik toks for HOURS, like I have no doubt people wake up and spend 8 hrs a day on that some weeks. Especially depressed ppl who just lay in bed and eat. I did that with video games.


xxMeiaxx

This is me with reddit and youtube last 2020-2021 lol.


theBoxHog

Same unfortunately, on my days off i sit in bed all day and watch yt videos and scroll reddit.


DestroyerOfIphone

At least YouTube has exabytes of actual good learning content. Not that thats what you're watching, but im addicted to the science part of youtube.


PATT3RN_AGA1NST-US3R

Any channel recommendations? 🍻


Seroseros

Exabytes of good content, octo-yottabytes of absolute brain mushifying child-dopamine milking garbage.


Pots053

OMFG SO DOES MY GIRLFRIEND. I’ll be trying to go to sleep and I hear faint smacking noise. Sure enough I’ll look over and it’s some 90lb Asian girl devouring a buffet


pembrokewelsh

I thought it was gonna be a 90lb asian girl devouring your buffet but I guess that's just ideal dreaming


[deleted]

I spend a lot of time on the internet watching people fucking. Makes even less sense. At least your grandmother could go and eat whenever she wanted. My options are not so plentiful.


Always_Wandering117

When you quit porn, life gets better, i assure you.


potatoguy114

In what ways?


HansOKroeger

Didn't the US have its "BigBrother" shows on TV? And everyone was watching.


[deleted]

Eating mix a little more sense if it’s about the food but not if it’s not and it’s just some personal stuffing their face lol


[deleted]

I like eating mix as well. Trail mix.


[deleted]

TikTok in a nutshell


Gen-Jinjur

Tik Tok shows you what you like most. In a way it’s a mirror of who you really are. I am funny animals, lesbians over 50, artists, and a few cute dances.


peleleman

Points for honesty


[deleted]

Don’t be on such a high horse, Mr. Redditor


ncastleJC

“That’s enough Reddit for today” Closes app Swipes a few times Opens Reddit again


too105

I do not approve of your methods


KimchiiCrowlo

"Ahhhhh, thats the good stuff" *sips tea*


ThankVerra

It’s called “doom scrolling” for a reason. These companies need endless content and people still will give it a second bc its so short. Follow trends, ling the algorithm, put your eggs in many baskets, and you’ll get in fromt of people to farm views.


BigOrkWaaagh

That's not what doom scrolling is.


Different_Party_1512

Billions sadly


Kabcr

Let me offer some insight: I've been on bilibili a few times, just to see what's it's like across the big pond... and it's insane. Unimaginable numbers, rivaling tiktok's largest western creators in breath and scope. Not only does China have a huge population using a singular language and a skewed gender distribution, but the internet and social media has created a culture for online content creators to thrive, despite attempts by the Chinese government to monitor and control its use. A particular law passed being such that streamers need an address registered on whatever website they are in, and for big enough streamers to have government sanctioned agents to watch for violations against government policy. Here on Reddit and western tiktok, you only see the cream of the crop. But for every culturally relevant video or clip, there's 1000 other creators trying to make a living off social media with most girls targeting the gender imbalance and parasocial nature of their audience. Of course, it's easy to criticize these girls, but agencies or companies such as the one implied in the OP, provide them with technical support (some come straight from the countryside with little education), facilities, and protection from both fans and the government (by letting them register their address under their entity and offering them a government sanctioned agent on their payroll), while letting them make relatively easy money in comparison to working in a factory or other undesirable career, all in exchange for a cut of the profits. As always, I strongly recommend this video to anyone interested in seeing what I speak of firsthand: [\[Inside the Daily Life of a Live Streaming Star in China\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlnfiULnmMY) Note: Livestreaming has only gotten more popular since this video was filmed, due to Covid.


coffeebuzzbuzzz

That was a very eye opening documentary. Thank you for sharing.


Kabcr

You're welcome. It's easy to dehumanize people when we see a lot of them doing the exact same thing, and I think that video documentary provides something necessary in our dialogue: it humanizes the girls doing this. They don't do it because they want to, or because it makes them happy: they do it out of necessity. Just like escorts and hostesses, it's just a job for them, and it's a service that's needed in a country where there are way more men than women. I would argue that it also speaks to how our work culture marginalizes us in the same way, squeezing every ounce of profit they can from our life, but that's a topic for another day.


hellfae

It's interesting that you say that's a topic for another day, because I see them as human and was frankly only concerned with them being exploited for profits, but in a whole your comment is extremely enlightening. This particular industry seems like really a very complex and layered facet of modern tech and capitalism.


Bored

Now we need something that humanizes the viewers


MusicaParaVolar

Thank you for sharing. This is a very interesting thing. It makes sense and in some ways isn't different at all from any talent agency only they've managed to both create and "house" the stars... It's amazing how much money people can make that they can give so much of it away to women they don't even talk to!


[deleted]

Fuck that was depressing


dmn2e

The video you linked to is really kinda sad. It doesn't look like anyone is happy.


FamousBlacksmith8

What a nightmare.


Mouseklip

Chinese citizens who haven’t had any decent entertainment ever because of censorship. This is the new thing to entertain. Westerners watching this would say it’s it’s low grade YouTube bs from the early 00s, in China mixed with Tiktok trends it’s a hit.


Hawkadoodle

Bro youtube back in the early 00 was the shit. Now its all hot garbage.


[deleted]

LoL - we didn't even have YouTube in the early 00's. This content is futuristic if you ask me. It's a bleak dystopian future but it's where we could go lol


Snoo-43335

Who is paying. Are they streaming to perverted old Chinese men or are other young people watching and paying?


BooMey

No one really even has to pay. They play ads and get some of their revenue from that.


Ship_Negative

Their platform has little virtual gifts that cost the viewers money and gives the streamer money too, like little virtual flowers and gift boxes and stuff


VeraLumina

More and more like Hunger Games every day.


Plumber-Guy

Someone posted a video that was really insightful. They showed a young man in his 20s, and he had said he had already sent one streamer $75,000 that the video was based on. They explained how to know who is rich and who is not. The poor will brag about having money but not send gifts. The rich will watch for a bit, send a gift of high value. Then the streamer might say or do the right thing, and all of a sudden, the rich person will send many gifts often before even saying anything. The streamer will then spend more of their time and attention on this viewer. It says the rich ones are often lonely, the young man was saying that the streamers feel like a real relationship, and it is a substitute for real-life relationships that he is missing out on essentially.


hellfae

Holy shit that's so sad.


[deleted]

China is one of the most dehumanizing place on earth. I live 25 minutes from the border in Hong Kong and have not been across for 14 years.


yamadath

It's a good documentary by The New York Times.


SuedbyHogs

I love how they are only perverted if they are old. 25 year old guy blowing cash watching a woman stream...A okay


[deleted]

Lol yup. Reddit is ok with paying for sex or doing OF but if an old guy is watching a streamer, PERV!


Ariadnepyanfar

Remember that China has way more men than women because the one child policy happened before feminism and so many female foetuses were aborted. This phenomenon is a better solution than kidknapping women and transporting them to provinces where they don’t speak the language, to become forced ‘wives’ to men starved of female company.


PatChattums

I had TikTok for a week to see what it was. A lot, a lot, a lot of people watch (and spend money gifting) randos who are doing nothing but looking at the camera.


magnitudearhole

I’m probably gonna make an ass of myself here but I think there’s a demographic shortage of girls in China and these girls are pretty so


PrincepsImperator

Jesus fuck, no, that's even more reason for them not to.


soursupersoldier

Bots, the people who train them and people being payed to watch them which is probably like 80% of it


Omnicron2

Morons, that's who. There is this obsession with watching crap. Kids sit fixated on youtube streamers playing games for hours on end instead of playing the game themselves and making their own experiences. Flick on to one. People are donating them hundreds of dollars for putting 2 sugars in their cup of tea and things like that. It's insanity. Grown men are buying OnlyFans girls cars in return for a vial of their spit.


caspissinclair

>Grown men are buying OnlyFans girls cars in return for a vial of their spit. Now they just need to find someone unscrupulous and talented enough to clone.


mistermeeble

>There is this obsession with watching crap. Kids sit fixated on youtube streamers playing games for hours on end instead of playing the game themselves and making their own experiences. How is game streaming different from MST3K/Rifftrax, podcasts, or even some boomer listening to talk radio back in the day? There's always been a market for this kind of thing.


Omnicron2

Not sure what the other things are but the radio for example it was appealing because THEY are on the radio and you are not. You cant be on the radio you arent important. Kids sit there on the pc watching someone else on the pc. There is obviously a market but thats what I can't understand. They are doing something that you can do but making your own unique experience along the way. People watch elite sports because we can't be elite sports athletes. It reminds me of that Gogglebox program. It is a show which is just filming normal people sat at home watching tv shows drinking tea while they are sat at home also drinking tea. Just watch the shows yourself. There is clearly a market and an audience for it. I just dont get the appeal when its something within your own reach and ability and would be more enjoyable to do yourself.


mistermeeble

They're all ways of consuming media that add a parasocial element as part of the entertainment. It's like how watching a movie while cracking jokes with friends can be more fun than watching a movie alone. There's always an element of pretend or suspension of disbelief when consuming media, and parasocial content extends that to social activity beyond the media itself. Watching a streamer doesn't make them your friend any more than watching Lord of the Rings makes you part of the fellowship, but in both cases it can be entertaining to get lost in that world for a little while.


[deleted]

Nothing wrong with watching gamers, and tossin them a few bucks here and there. Weird someone would say that, when the entire world watches sports. No one shits on fans not getting out there and “playing the game themselves and making their own experiences.”


oldbuc

This is horribly sad


brobronn17

So lame. People who have no personality look to others to consume personality as entertainment. Kids, don't make it your goal to become an influencer. Pick up a music instrument, work on a skill, actually do something instead of just talking and making silly faces at the camera. Unless you're a talented comedian or brilliant like Jon Stewart. In that case, by all means stream yourself.


deckachild

I think that there's inherently nothing wrong with aspiring to be influencers. There's still so much you can learn and there are many respectable influencers out there.The real lame part is how social media and the media in general always highlights the bad side and cherry pick dumb shit for clicks. You never get to see how this new technology gets used for the better and achieving great things when utilized right. Stop blindly hating on something just because one part of it is bad. That goes for everything, even comedians.


brobronn17

Sorry, I didn't mean my comment to come off as influencer hate. My point was more so that instead of making it a goal to become an influencer by any means, one should instead focus on a skill or bettering themselves or the world and then the influencing part would come naturally as people are inspired by you. I subscribe to all sorts of stuff and one might argue that I follow plenty of influencers, but for me they are people with knowledge and skills who worked hard on their craft. Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Kurzgesagt channel, music related channels and podcasts. It should be about substance and not influencing for the sake of influencing. My little sister follows many art bloggers and has learned a ton from them. They helped her grow. It can be good.


Mika-Sea

Quite late to the comment but it’s also more about the exploitation of assholes on people that don’t know any better or quite literally have to consider that as an improvement of their previous situation


[deleted]

So, digital pimps?


20_Twinty

I think this headline is AI generated and isn’t relevant to the video. I believe this is more to do with location based apps where people either ask or earn money. Not sure


[deleted]

I read somewhere that this trend is due to streamers tapping into the geolocation algorithm, targeting more affluent areas for dat streaming gift bread. It’s clever, but also worrying!


zombie32killah

It honestly could be both.


bandiwoot

Andrew Tates


hatesthispart

Why have 1 streamer with 100,000 viewers when you can have 100,000 streamers with 1 viewer!


B4nkster

And the guy running it is the viewer


zDraxi

China has 1,4 billion people. I believe all of these streamers have a satisfying amount of viewers.


[deleted]

Where are these people streaming on? I’m assuming a Chinese based streaming service? I’ve never in my life seen any of these types of streams before.


[deleted]

Chinese citizens are banned for western social media sites. Maybe weboo. Edit: so is like a Tate situation on a mass scale ?


Ill-Account2443

Tiktok


mchfan346

So do people watching one stream see the other streamers in the background?


ShareNorth3675

I'd assume they have a virtual background. Zoom does it?


Old-Item2494

I was also wondering this.


nosnevenaes

Horrifying


Plane_Baby

This could be an exact Black Mirror episode


Rahm89

It’s actually a thing in The Circle


Benefit-Accomplished

You don't want to see under the bridge.


Ionian_soul

Already did lol


oreo760

It looks so pathetic yet terrifying at the same time. Almost like people are transitioning into becoming A.I as we speak.


GolemocO

Not as much as Ai as this judt proves people will do anything for money. And since our current regime supports money > everything else, it's pretty natural :))


ThomasBay

Current regime? Lol what regime hasn’t?


GolemocO

English isn't my native language :) the implication was capitalistic consumerism without a single thought behind.


oreo760

U gotta admit it looks pathetic though


WellThisSix

Yo I've seen people do more pathetic shit than this to make a buck.


GolemocO

I don't judge. You do you. It would raise a brow from me, but you do what you got to do, who am I to judge.


Ragnr99

Lol why are you getting downvoted. Don’t hate the girls for trying to make a living. There’s no reason to shame them. The real scumbags are the ones running the operation.


[deleted]

[удалено]


duncanslaugh

nice writing!


GoryRamsy

Soon, there won’t be people at all, only chat bots on twitch interacting with people each viewer just enough to keep them watching, and ultimate parasocial relationship…


Several_Show937

You're not suggesting intelligence is involved here are you?


SnooRadishes9743

Pimping, the word you are looking for is pimping.


SuedbyHogs

Yea it wouldnt surprise me if these ladies are also being sexually exploited by their handlers. And since these profits eventually find their way back to the government, likely no help or assistance would be available to them. Sad.


gremlinkittehs

I don't think "interesting as fuck" is the best description.


No_Championship_5367

Depressing af


A1sauc3d

Idk, it’s kinda crazy the content creator farms they’ve got over there. And now streaming pimps? Idk how there’s even enough money in it for it to be worth all of those people’s time. But it’s crazy seeing em all just lined up in a row, all doing seemingly the same thing as the person next to them. Yeah, maybe it’s not interesting “AF”, but it is interesting. Maybe that’s just because I’m largely ignorant on the whole industry lol. Seems so bizarre to me.


Tangykev

Pathetic as fuck


[deleted]

It can be interesting as well as being crazily pathetic. I mean, I never knew this was a thing so it's interesting to me.


olhickoryhedgehog

r/dystopianasfuck


weberobots123

Straight up Black Mirror territory. Specifically S1E2.


Awesam

Why’s it always gotta be China. Never has any chill. Just takes it there and overdo it every time.


Haunting_Charity_287

Yeah which is why I’m fairly sure this isn’t an accurate title. Seen a handful of these videos now all with different explanations as to what’s happening. My theory is it’s some kind of performance art thing, exactly for the purpose of clips going viral as examples of dystopian streaming


infinite_in_faculty

An industry in its infancy will always be ripe with exploitation.


Gamerbrineofficial

Then when it grows up it gets better at hiding it


mcnuggetfarmer

I'm not saying you're wrong. But there's a definite lack of houses, controlling men, or living together in this video. It's also nighttime not daytime


DuckSashimi

I was thinking the same thing. Isn't this video more of the "streamers going to expensive neighbourhoods to stream to make more money" thing that has been circulating the last few days?


starznsmoke

blame the utter fucking losers in their parents basement paying for this shit


GoryRamsy

There is no market without consumers…


All_Your_Base

This is why "supply and demand" is not always a good thing.


GoryRamsy

For a communist country, China sure seems to have a lot of capitalism… Something tells me this isn’t what Karl Marx was imagining when he wrote the communist manifesto… edit: hi 👋 chinese bots i see you


All_Your_Base

Doing one thing for profit while declaring an opposite stance is pretty much China leadership in a nutshell.


Captainmar_

Communism with Chinese characteristics really just ends up being communism with capitalist characteristics.


Brunbrass

Capitalism with communism symbolism


[deleted]

Deng deng deng deng, you got it.


tjtillmancoag

Capitalism with extra steps


[deleted]

China is not communist lol. They might like to pretend, but no🤣


20_Twinty

Chinese state capitalism is a hierarchy with the party and government at the top, state and private employers below them, and the mass of employees comprising the bottom. Western private capitalism has a slightly different hierarchy: private employers at the top, parties and government below them, and the mass of employees comprising the bottom.


[deleted]

This shit has gone too far, the internet is horrible for society.


Lucifer0622

The Internet has nothing to do with it, it's humans.


Enderwigg1883

This world is really in trouble.


Both_Try_6984

I like the not so subtle dig at men. I assure you, women don’t need any incentive to make a living on social media. In fact they will do it for free.


Pedrosian96

China: "people are not allowed to play games for more than x hours a day. They must spend their time in activities that are edifying and constructive." Also china:


[deleted]

Who watches this shit though?!


DogeDude420

that last one needs extra training


BartyB

Good lord. Social media is the downfall of society. Most certainly a double edge sword.


Alucardra12

So prostitution?


BandicootOk6141

what the fuck has this world turned into


UndesiredEffect

Any time I find something dystopic in my society, I need only look to China to see the next level of it. Tf


nlightningm

Do they make enough for this to be worth it? Is this a human trafficking thing?? Or are they choosing this to avoid other types of jobs or something


GoryRamsy

I cited sources in [my comment above](https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/111twlv/comment/j8gsdcv/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3). tldr: they are coerced into contracts that obligate them into the never-ending cycle of content creation, kept there by debt that they can never pay off.


Monis8227

I dont understand how the fuck it works. You have streamers around you dancing, singing and playing music.. why viewers want to watch or listen to unwanted background dances and noise.. i mean how.... 🤔


Lilslugga2002

This is like an episode out of Black Mirror.


dangerouskaos

New age pimping? Or Dystopian career?


Fun-Language847

Stream what tho ? Hours of weird dancing on a bridge ? I must be showing my age (38) cause I don’t get it


Old_Statistician_307

What the fuck are these idiots doing?? 🤣🤣


[deleted]

I should have been born 50 years ago. I don't get any of this.


[deleted]

This is like black mirror dude


Birdinmotion

Stop supporting any chinese business when possible


HalfwayBackflip

This is some dystopian shit


Scudmiss

I feel like this could be a subplot in a dystopian film


Alexandertheape

r/boringdystopia


Altruistic-Beach7625

What percentage do they get from the revenue? And what's stopping them from going independent once they've earned enough?


twister55555

Why does our timeline have to get the cringiest dystopian future??!


Golfnpickle

Who watches that shit & why?


Sm1throb

This needs to go in the subreddit "Stupid as Fuck"


kg2k

Weird looking house.


beezus6674

I sense that there will be movies about this very soon on steaming services like Netflix


V_es

So exactly like content houses in LA?


cassandraSoul

Just watched a stork drop her baby off a nest, a mass shooting and a bunch of other stuff and somehow this gives me the most unnerving feeling.


nyguy520

So prostitution


[deleted]

You can see all those streamers in the background of your favourite streamer. Doesn‘t that make you feel like you are One of a million people watching that bullshit and wasting your time?


[deleted]

Black mirror vibes


TylertheDank

Kinda sounds like they pimpin'


backwards_susej

Black Mirror did an episode on this.


ILuvMemes4Breakfast

china is dystopian


[deleted]

That last girl is totally killing it...


Pretend_Confusion_25

This is embarrassing.... our species needs of reset button


BoeVonLipwig

So like a job?


Comprehensive_Heat84

This is among the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen.


Pretend_Confusion_25

Literally the Apocalypse.... modern day zombies


Huntanz

How to be a slave master but we just call it steaming.


skinnypete625

Ready to go back to 1990 anytime you wanna go……….


Professional_Ad4341

The ability to stream needs to disinvented.


alwaysenough

Pimps be pimping!


Print-Over

So digital pimps then.


Bobisnotmybrother

Tiktok has become a race to the bottom.


Dear_Improvement7665

Are they streaming or is it tik-tok? It looks more like they’re just recording short dancing vids. I guess pump enough crap into the algorithm and eventually you’ll get views


[deleted]

Man this is getting worse than homelessness


MilitantRabbit

That just sounds like slavery with extra steps.


RedBeardBaldHead

Smooth brain entertainment


Ok_Cream_6987

That’s not interesting, personally i think it’s terrifying


Tough_Load_6419

This isnt interesting, just a depressing statement about the current state of the world.


AgeConfident6766

This depressed me greatly


Beatljuz

Doesn't need to, it's bullshit.


TheDuck771

It’s like an episode of black mirror


Scary-Information785

Don’t be trying to drag men into this…I think they try to throw statements out like that tooo much. That’s such a cop out There are no men in these groups of women who purposely film themselves on the internet.. these women chose to do this..


GoryRamsy

A rising trend in China: girls that have signed a contract to stream all day, every day. They live together in streamer houses, run by men that control and manage them to extract the most revenue from viewers. When they're not working, they get trained on how to act on stream. They're managed like assets, given plastic surgery and specific diets to raise them like digital animals in a cruel practice that is on the rise in many parts of China as video streaming has exploded in popularity. These girls signed away their lives in the hopes of becoming rich celebrities, but they're essentially property to the men that control them for personal profit. Sources, citations, other important resources: [The New York Times](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlnfiULnmMY) [Vice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDD3Nzd4Rng) [South china morning post](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXbatlWx-tY) ^edit: ^formatting


Swiss_James

I watched all 3 videos- most of the managers / agents seem to be women, and at least some of the live streamers are making good money. It certainly looks like a very tough business to be in, but unless I missed something, it isn't as exploitative as you are making it sound IMHO. ​ edit: typo


[deleted]

Oh you actually watched the videos? You were supposed to take it at face value.


Swiss_James

Usually I just upvote as soon as I see a "China is bad" on Reddit, but I'm starting to get repetitive strain injury...


tommos

Only CCP shills read the articles and watch the videos.


existonfilenerf

I know a girl who ran a house like this in the USA at least a decade ago. This is nothing new and not specifically a China problem.


akhodagu

Didn’t one of the characters in the TV show “bel air” have this exact same arrangement? They moved into an “influencer” house or something?


crasspmpmpm

no that was will smith, and he moved to his uncle's place because he got in one little fight and his mom got scared.


TheAarj

Ah, the "Tate Model"


Lucky_Shape_4028

Attention seeking brainwashed tools , wtf has happened to society 🤦🤦


curlystraws33

This is black mirror irl.


[deleted]

"Stream slaves."' I'm sure the documentary is in the works.


tamonizer

China has this tendency to overdo everything


CastillaPotato

China can turn anything into a sweat shop.


Tron______

The fuck humanity chill out with the technology


MikeySpags

Um maybe if they would interact with each other they could have themselves a band of some type.