ABSTRACT Twitch.tv is one of the most successful online live streaming platforms in the world, with 200 million viewers, 2 million regular “streamers,” and a market value of over $1billion. In this paper, we offer a first conceptualization of streamers as social media influencers, and how effectively they can perform strategic communication for sponsors. We draw on extensive ethnographic research and over a hundred semi-structured interviews with streamers to address two questions: first, how does Twitch operate as a platform for strategic communication; second, what skills do streamers need to be successful influencers? In the first case, we show Twitch is well suited to influencing, in large part due to its integration of data analytics, while streamers are using these tools to adopt a business-oriented mindset; in the second case, we show the importance of authenticity to both streamers and clients, and how channels of different sizes offer strategic communication opportunities. The article contributes to the emerging literature on Twitch, developing insights from influencing and strategic communication, but given the increasing scope of live streaming, we also argue the phenomenon – particularly when combined with the economic dynamics of influencing – is just as important for making sense of the wider media landscape today.

中文翻译：

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Twitch.tv上的现场直播员（社交媒体影响者）：战略传播的机遇与挑战

Twitch.tv是世界上最成功的在线实时流媒体平台之一，拥有2亿观众，200万固定“流媒体”，市值超过10亿美元。在本文中，我们首次提出了飘带作为社交媒体影响者的概念，以及它们如何有效地执行赞助商的战略沟通。我们利用广泛的人种学研究方法以及对彩带的一百多个半结构式访谈来解决两个问题：第一，Twitch如何作为战略沟通平台运作？其次，彩带成为成功的影响者需要哪些技能？在第一种情况下，我们证明Twitch非常适合影响，主要是因为它集成了数据分析功能，而彩带正在使用这些工具来采用面向业务的思维方式。在第二种情况下，我们向所有人和客户展示了真实性的重要性，以及不同规模的渠道如何提供战略性交流机会。本文为有关Twitch的新兴文献做出了贡献，从影响力和战略沟通中获得了见识，但鉴于实时流媒体的范围不断扩大，我们还认为，这种现象-特别是与影响力的经济动力相结合时-对于有意义而言同样重要当今更广泛的媒体格局。