A Capitalism of Donation

In this sociography of money on Twitch, the article highlights the underlying logic and social determinants of the donation economy in streaming. It draws on and compares two databases on streamers and viewers, which, illuminated by interviews and an online ethnography, set out and explain the distribution of video makers’ income and their audiences’ propensity to donate. Donating appears to be a socially acceptable way of monetizing emotions, interactions and social integration in the digital sphere, economically promoting the performance of online femininity, and targeting the most socially vulnerable youth. This donation-based monetization system, exploited by the platform, is underpinned by a non-market capitalist value system steeped in an ethos of fostering social relations on internet.