Former CLG CEO and longtime Twitch streamer Devin Nash is urging content creators to foster positivity and move away from hot-button topics amid the backlash surrounding Asmongold.
On October 14, 2024, prominent Twitch streamer Asmongold came under fire after making inflammatory comments regarding the ongoing conflict in Palestine.
Notably, Asmon said he refused to “cry a river” for those killed in Palestine, arguing that “they come from an inferior culture” that is “directly antithetical to everything Western values stand for.”
The streamer apologized shortly thereafter, and on October 16, announced he would step away from his leadership positions at OTK, Starforge and Mad Mushroom — all companies he co-owns or co-founded.
The situation sparked a viral discourse online, prompting reactions from other creators across the space. On October 17, longtime Twitch streamer and Novo.TV CMO Devin Nash spoke out about the current state of live streaming and the effects creators can have on their audiences.
In a lengthy post on Twitter/X, Nash pointed out that influencers are branching out from regular people who simply make content to those with important stakes in businesses and own companies.
Because of this, Nash says creators are seeing increased consequences for certain behaviors, as they are now held to a different standard.
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“Once you employ people, are accountable to advertisers, and have stake in the economy (equity), you are held to a different standard,” he explained. “That standard exists as a subjective but collective agreement that as stakeholders in the future, we have an obligation to speak and do well by other humans.
“…The reason you are seeing more severe responses and punishments now is because streamers are becoming stakeholders. They’re becoming part owners in real companies. People are now relying on them to provide a different kind of value. Expectations change.”
Livestreaming has a strange way of turning people into demagogues and monsters, and it's something I've thought about a long time. Streamers are incentivized to push further and further away from their expertise because a broader audience demands coverage of topical issues…
— Devin (@DevinNash) October 17, 2024
Ultimately, he urged creators to “shun the general public’s incessant nagging for ‘the hot take’ and to ‘talk about the drama,'” saying the world needs more “creators who understand they have great influence and can change the world, for good or ill, and choose good.”
The response to Nash’s tweet has been relatively positive, with many commenters in agreement that creators should strive to have a “positive” impact on the world around them.
Asmongold, for his part, is aiming to do something similar, hoping to focus more on “having fun” in his future content rather than “laughing at” people and fostering a negative environment.