Stalking is never fun, and when fans become too creepy and intrude a streamer’s private life — that’s a complete red flag!
Unfortunately, streamers are often the target of this real-life harassment.
During her February 8th stream, Twitch celebrity Imane “Pokimane” Anys recounts a terrifying experience of when a fan showed up unannounced near the OfflineTV house.
Building a relationship with your viewers and fans is a must for every streamer. However, there must be lines that’s not to be crossed even if a fan starts to believe they are friends with the streamer.
When a viewer tried to meet her in real life without her consent, fans can only imagine how terrifying it must be. Poki explained this was why she has to keep her guard up at times.
She was reacting to a viral Youtube music video called “Obsession” by penguinz0, when the Twitch star opened up about a personal experience similar to the one in the song.
“He just wasn’t all there in the head. He would like, send bits, and he would think that just because I respond, like that means we are friends. Like, real life friends. It’s like you guys are my community. And in a sense we are friends. But for this guy, it was way more than that.”
Shortly after, she revealed how the said fan tried to meet her in real life.
“He showed up near our OTV house. It was difficult to deal with because I could tell he just didn’t understand. That when I respond to bits and am like thank you, it doesn’t mean that I personally know who you are. Or that you know personally who I am. Or that you can come to my house!”
Poki continues by saying how she wants to become closer with some of her fans, but was cautious and afraid that others might take it the wrong way.
“Sometimes I always wish that I could sometimes have a closer connection with certain members of my community. But I’ve always avoided talking to donators or communicating with people really outside of stream time. Because I don’t want them to develop a parasocial relationship.”
She then explained why it’s better to not let delusional viewers have their unhealthy expectations grow.
“And if you’re like oh I won’t message people, “your ego is too f*cking high, you big b*tch”… Either way I’m being a b*tch. So I might as well be a safe b**ch, and not make it more likely for people to have expectations of me they shouldn’t.”
Fan boundaries are important to establish, especially to someone as influential and well-known as Pokimane.
Streamers may have achieved success by communicating and connecting with their fans, but there should be a line that must not be crossed.
Pokimane’s bizarre and scary story just reveals the downside of connecting with your fans on a personal level, since some delusional fans cannot distinguish the difference between being a supporter and a friend.
If anything, it puts her at risk.
