Screens Within Screens: The Interiors of Twitch

Résumé En

This essay examines Twitch's influence on contemporary interior spaces, exploring the interplay between architecture, online interaction, and digital empathy. From its inception as Justin.tv in 2007 to its evolution as a dominant force in gameplay streaming since 2011, Twitch echoes 20th and 21st-century TV programs where viewers watch people reacting to audio-visual content on screens. The research discusses the emergence of a new, seemingly domestic landscape: the "non-circadian interior," where broadcasts within screens neither display time nor show windows or daylight. This creates flat time zones, complemented by architectural materials whose chromatics, reflections, and tectonics operate within the digital topos of the screen. By analyzing the practices of leading Twitch streamers like xQc, Ninja, or Pokimane, the essay reveals the platform's blend of live broadcasts, digital interactions, and archival content from manifold fragmented domesticities.