>>1831697>A traditional streamer forms a parasocial relationship with their audience usually on a pretense of being friends with the audience. This is inherently dishonest as the relationship between streamers and their audience is one of entertainer and their "customers" or donators.It's like watching sports more than anything else; you're spending time with people of similar personality, hobby, and interest, as well as knowledge.
>However, I find all of these parasocial relationships to be alarmingly unhealthyIt depends almost entirely on the how a viewer acts. Some streamers I genuinely have some problems with due to encouraging certain types of behavior in their fans, such as implying there's any chance to have sex with them or be real friends, but the majority of the time there are perfectly healthy and even beneficial ways to consume a streamer's content.
I'll give an example: recently my body was severely divorcing my mind; I did not accept food beyond it's most logical and cold materialistic value; I did not see love as much more than merely materialistic obsession of a mind designed for it; in simple words, I did not see myself as a human -- I did not allow myself to be a human. Taste? Why should I enjoy it? I know the man behind the curtain... My body? Who cares...
But Watame... Her streams she takes things back to more real and simple understandings. She has the rock-papers-scissor game, a community that welcomes you with love and is happy to see you; she talks of food and how tasty it is with such confidence and happiness -- she gives such an honest and confident thankful happiness for the little things, be they some nice chips or a small joke.
It reminded me mentally back to the days where I could go to kindergarten and have my snack, enjoy it, talk with my friends about our future, about star wars, and then run with so much joy outside to play. Enjoy resting my head on my mother's lap or my nice teacher reading us a story during nap time. In other words, it reminded me that I am human. I am not some super smart entity or some cosmic force who has to worry about finding meaning beyond humanity...
Because I lack the faculties to consider such. I am human. I can think about my own self and position, try to gain more knowledge, but I am not some god. I am human, for better or for worse.
The confidence Watame had for life, herself, and others, was much needed in my life. I don't watch because I think she's my friend, or that she would date me, or that we even are similiar people. I watch because of her character, her kindness and confidence as well as happiness. I watch because of her community, so warm and kind. I might not be the same person as Watame, or even any in her community, but we have something in common, a desire to be happy and to be kind.
Every time I watch a Watame stream I'm reminded of all the kind people in her audience as well as her own self existing. I'm reminded that good people still succeed in life and this bullshit reducing humans to nothing, based off the flawed reasoning of said nothing's own faculties, as admitted by them, isn't all there is in life. I'm reminded of the fact that I, too, if I let myself be kind, and try in life, can be happy; if I like Watame's community and her so much for their kindness, as well as general character, how can I deny the possibility of other's seeing me such, despite my never ending self criticism and delusion?
