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24-year-old internet personality Imane 'Pokimane' Anys has garnered immense popularity over the course of her streaming career. With over 5 million subscribers on YouTube, she has constantly been in the limelight.
Be it her interactive videos or her friendly presence, she effortlessly fits into the slot of a popular streamer and was recently even nominated for the Streamer of the Year award at the Esports awards.
Despite her fair share of fame, Pokimane is no stranger to controversy and has been engulfed in social media dissention before. Being famous is certainly no cakewalk as her channel and fanbase have recently come in for a lot of hate, ultimately prompting her to turn her personal Twitter account private.
What are the reasons behind the hate?
Pokimane has been the subject of controversy in the past, with multiple personalities, such as Keemstar, being incredibly vocal about their antipathy towards her.
You can read more about her altercations with famous personalities here.
A YouTuber called 'diesel patches' even released a video revealing exactly why he doesn't like Pokimane:
Most of the hate coming her way is to do with her lack of insightful content and her fanbase, which has constantly been dubbed as an army of 'simps'. The term 'simp' is a colloquial slang used in a derogatory manner to refer to men who are generally too submissive towards women, in the hopes of receiving romantic attention.
Despite a blossoming career online, her fans are constantly accused of being simps. Pokimane herself recently addressed the issue and explained how she tackles the entire 'simp' controversy.
You can watch the video from the 7:22 mark below where she addresses the 'Simp' issue.
Pokimane's Twitter Account
Pokimane operates two Twitter accounts- one with 2.3 million followers and another under her real name- imane.
She recently turned the latter into a private account, with only 239K of the people who initially followed her given access to the account.
Constant criticism and hate directed towards her on the social media platform is what likely contributed to this decision.
The following thread is perhaps what led to her recent decision:
Pokimane seemed to address the above in a recent tweet where she gave a befitting reply:
Reactions online
Pokimane's decision to make her account private invited a wide range of responses ranging from criticism to concern from the Twitter community.
While on the opposite side of the spectrum, there was heavy criticism:
Elsewhere, in a unique take, Satirist/YouTuber, TwizzFizz presented a parody version of the entire situation in her trademark style.
Check out her reaction below:
Fame and Toxicity
Fame and toxicity are often two sides of the same coin, and in a profession such as streaming, an individual is often subject to a dose of both. Pokimane continues to have a huge following who stan her religiously as the debate regarding her simp army rages on.
Irrespective of her controversial personality, the recent developments have surely opened up a dialogue regarding the bane of social media and how it is a toxic environment in a digital age.
