Can you just launch me into the sun already...? (Being sarcastic... Kinda...)
A warm welcome to all my returning Inky Buds, and whoever else is reading my articles. Why did my article start out in a cynical way this time? Well, it's because of a little thing called the human race, mainly the people that do this:
If you didn't watch the video, to sum it up, it's just a woman repeatedly saying phrases like that of an NPC. They would move like one and say absurd phrases when their followers and audience send them "gifts". And if you don't know what NPC means, it stands for 'non-Player Character.' NPCs are characters in video games that have limited things they can say/do. They usually give the player i.e., you, a task or side quest. An example would be villagers from Animal Crossing like this one:
Now that I've explained that you might get an idea of what's happening with the brain eating parasite that is TikTok. Many of it's users have been on TikTok live acting like pre-programmed citizens of the virtual world. During TikTok livestreams, users can send their favorite content creators virtual gifts through the livestream's comments section in the form of online "stickers" shaped like ice cream cones, roses, birthday cakes and other items that will pop up on screen. Users purchase stickers and those weird little icon things with REAL money!
The virtual tokens are available in packages, with the smallest bundle of 70 TikTok coins costing 74 cents and a package of 7,000 coins going for $74, the platform's coin recharge page shows. Gifts like a flower sticker cost as little as one TikTok coin, while a sticker depicting a pair of lions will set users back 34,000 TikTok coins. NPC creators take home 50% of the value of all the stickers they receive during a livestream. They must convert the stickers into gift coins, which are then exchanged for "digital diamonds." When a creator has $100 worth of diamonds, they can cash those out for real money. (Insider)
PinkyDoll, one of the more well-known NPC streamers. (To me, she's the 'Mmm! Ice cream so good!' girl. )
However, there have been several people who have hopped onto this bizarre trend to try and earn financial benefits from it. Some have succeeded. Now, I should say i have mixed feelings about this 'trend.' People should be able to do whatever they would like with themselves, but this is kind of... odd. I guess she saw an opportunity and took it, but I am more worried about the people who are spending money on the icons and are watching these types of videos. I don't understand why anyone would fund this, or even watch this, it's just... off. I am under the impression that maybe it's a control thing. Like people enjoy controlling these streamers.
She created this new thing, and its apparently working out for her, so I don't really have anything to really negative to say about this. She's just like one of us, trying to make her way in the world and not fall into financial ruin. It's understandable... but respectfully, it's a bit humiliating. It really sucks that this is what some have to turn to, to stay afloat. It's just a tad bit, bizarre. It's like we're in the Twilight Zone with everything that's been going on in the world. Though if she earns $7,000 dollars a day from it, who am I to judge?
What do you guys think?
Thank you all for reading! This was a great article for me to write, and I hope you
enjoyed reading it, and as always have a good day🏙️/night🌆!
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