'Plizzz say my name!'
Feel lonely and unseen? Have you tried sending a Super Chat to your favourite YouTuber?
Have you ever sent a Super Chat to a YouTuber? I've recently started doing this with my favourite sports YouTubers, and I'm fascinated by what it means – especially in the era of brain rot thanks to our Zombie-like binge watching of (mostly useless) videos.
YouTube rolled out Super Chats in 2017 as a way for viewers to send money to and message creators during live streams. Anyone can buy a Super Chat starting as low as 40 rupees, accompanied by a comment or question. The more money you spend, the longer your comment can be and the longer it stays pinned at the top of the chat feed in the form of a colourful, eye-catching banner.
YouTube takes a cut of the money and sends the rest to the creator. In exchange, it lets you bypass the cacophony in the comments section – often resembling a digital stampede – that's directly proportional to the popularity of the YouTuber and the interestingness (read: controversial, provocative, or titillating nature) of the content.
