Live Streamers and the Boredom Factor
网络主播与无聊因素
By Tomoko Yokoi
文/横井朋子
译/王晶
Live streaming is booming, with viewers watching nearly 4 billion hours of live stream, in the gaming sector alone, in 2020. But it is not only limited to gaming. Chinese influencers have perfected the art of live commerce—a combination of live streaming and ecommerce, that has become China’s favorite way to shop. And live streaming is attracting content creators from diverse genres such as music and cooking.
网络直播正在蓬勃发展。2020年内，仅游戏行业的观众就观看了近40亿小时的直播。但直播并不仅限于游戏行业。中国网红完善了直播带货艺术——直播和电子商务的结合，这已成为中国最受欢迎的购物方式。直播也吸引着音乐和烹饪等不同类型的内容创建者。
To stream or not to stream—that is the question with over 50 million people self-identifying as online creators. With over seven-in-ten Americans using social media, and a plethora of live streaming services such as YouNow, Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch at one’s disposal, pressing a button and sharing a moment, routine, or an exciting experience with others has never been easier.
直播还是不直播——这是超过5000万自称线上创作者的人面对的问题。七成以上美国人使用社交媒体及大量直播服务，可用的直播服务又多得是，诸如YouNow、脸书直播、YouTube直播和Twitch等。与他人一键分享某个时刻、日常活动或一次激动人心的体验从未如此简单。
For some, the motivation to live stream is for the fun of it, while others are seeking to become the next minicelebrity. And then there is boredom.
一些人的直播动机是好玩，另一些人则在伺机成为下一个小明星。还有一些人则是缘于无聊。
Back in 2016, researchers studied live streams originating from the US, Japan and Germany on the platforms YouNow, Periscope (discontinued in March 2021) and UStream. They found a wide variety of motivations driving each streamer, with a large majority using live streaming services for their own entertainment. The research uncovered some interesting country-based differences.
早在2016年，研究人员就研究了YouNow、Periscope（已于2021年3月停止运营）和UStream平台上来自美国、日本和德国的直播。他们发现，主播们的直播动机多种多样，其中绝大多数用户玩直播是为了自娱自乐。研究发现不同国家间存在着有趣的差异。
The main motive of US streamers was to reach a specific target group, for example, by performing music. Their objective was to improve their personal image and to cultivate their fan base. On the other hand, socializing was revealed to be the main motivation for Japanese streamers. The need to communicate with their audience was especially strong. Finally, German streamers’ primary motivations were to relieve their boredom. And they’re not alone.
美国主播的主要动机是通过音乐表演等手段吸引特定的目标群体。他们的目标在于提升个人形象和培养粉丝基础。另外，研究揭示，在日本，社交是主播们的主要动机，他们与观众交流的需求尤其强烈。最后，德国主播的基本动机是消解无聊。而以此为动机的不仅仅是德国主播。
Boredom was also a strong motivator found in both American and Japanese streamers back in 2016. Simply put, many people turned to live streaming to help pass the time and to relieve their boredom.
消解无聊也是2016年美国和日本主播的一大动机。简而言之，许多人直播是为了打发时间并消解无聊。
COVID-19 restrictions limiting social engagements, leisure activities and travel have muted daily activities. The lack of deviations from daily monotony, according to Sydney Embers of the New York Times, has even generated the boredom economy with money being invested in home improvement, online shopping and trading activities such as Gamestop. With all major live streaming services announcing substantial increases in new streamers during COVID-19, there could be further support for the link between live streaming and boredom.
新冠疫情限令限制了社交、休闲活动和旅行，人们的日常活动因此减少。据《纽约时报》的悉妮·恩伯斯报道，人们无以排遣平日的单调乏味，这种局面甚至催生出“无聊经济”，资金正在投向家居改善、网上购物以及游戏驿站等平台的交易活动。所有主要直播服务平台均宣称，新冠疫情期间，新主播数量大幅增加，这为直播与无聊之间的关联提供了进一步支撑。
And then there’s a new twist. A new genre of live streaming is emerging where streamers don’t perform for, interact or even communicate with their viewers. Instead, the live stream broadcasts uninterrupted everyday mundane activities such as sleeping and studying.
新的转折随之而来。一种新型直播流派正在兴起，主播并不给观众表演，也不跟他们互动甚至聊天。取而代之的是，他们不间断地直播睡觉和学习之类平淡的日常活动。
The newest trend in Twitch is to literally sleep. Streamers position their cameras on their beds and go to sleep. In February 2020, Chinese amateur streamer YuanSan broadcast his 2-day “sleep-stream” which, to his surprise, attracted 18 million viewers. In an interview, YuanSan claimed that his motivation was to relieve his boredom. “I was so bored I decided to live stream myself sleeping. What I discovered was that viewers on the internet were even more bored than I was.”
Twitch上的最新趋势是直播名副其实的睡觉。主播将摄像头放在床上，然后睡觉。2020年2月，中国业余主播圆三进行了为期两天的“睡觉直播”，出乎他意料的是，居然吸引了1800万观众。在一次采访中，圆三说他直播睡觉只是想要消解无聊。“我太无聊了，决定直播自己睡觉。结果发现互联网上的观众比我还无聊。”
What are the implications for live streaming platform providers where boredom is a motivation of both broadcasters and viewers alike? Free access to the service is one feature, which most providers already offer as a basic account. Interactive chat functionality amongst viewers to comment and discuss with one another is another. Instant notification to followers whenever the broadcaster is streaming might be another. Perhaps all that is needed is a pared-down service that meets the basic needs of this particular segment.
如果主播开播和观众围观都是出于无聊，这对直播平台服务商会有哪些影响？免费访问服务成为一个特色，多数服务商已经无偿提供基本账户。观众之间能够点评和讨论的交互式聊天功能是另一特色。主播开播时对粉丝发送即时通知，可能会成为又一亮点。或许所需要的只是可以满足这一特定群体基本需求的简化服务。
Conquer boredom, by enacting boredom, and by watching boredom. The new way of living is to actively participate in being bored.
通过呈现无聊和观看无聊来克服无聊。新的生活方式便是积极参与无聊秀。
（译者单位：中央民族大学外国语学院）