When it comes to supporting marginalized creators, it’s important that any support isn’t just performative. You should support creators because you genuinely want to, and not out of obligation or guilt. It should be a constant endeavor that you work on and keep in mind when engaging in the work of content creators – not just when a major civil rights issue or holiday related to a marginalized community is taking place. 

teonawrites

they/them

Teona is part of the StreamerSqure staff as a writer and admin manager. They are a queer, disabled creator and social media influencer who loves writing, photography, beauty & fashion as well as video games. Tee started their content creator career as a freelance writer and blogger and since then have expanded to also include streaming variety content on Twitch. They use their platforms to share experiences with, and educate on, disability, chronic illness, neurodivergence and queerness as well as create spaces where we can be safe to explore ourselves.

It’s important to ask these creators how they’d like to be supported because everyone is different and has different needs and wants.

As a starting point, we’ve provided a few different not all-inclusive ways you can support marginalized creators as a whole.

Self-Education, Research and Respect

One can’t possibly keep track of all current events, but it’s important to educate yourself on important issues related to their marginalized communities. You should also understand that every marginalized creator is not an activist or educator unless they’ve stated such. 

Oftentimes, marginalized creators are lumped into roles of ‘activist’ and ‘educator’ for simply talking about the issues that affect their communities that they experience. Learning something from conversations marginalized creators have isn’t the same as them intentionally aiming to teach. 

teonawrites

they/them

Teona is part of the StreamerSqure staff as a writer and admin manager. They are a queer, disabled creator and social media influencer who loves writing, photography, beauty & fashion as well as video games. Tee started their content creator career as a freelance writer and blogger and since then have expanded to also include streaming variety content on Twitch. They use their platforms to share experiences with, and educate on, disability, chronic illness, neurodivergence and queerness as well as create spaces where we can be safe to explore ourselves.

We shouldn’t expect creators to educate us, especially not for free, and we shouldn’t only approach or engage with them because we’re hoping to get education out of it.

There are creators who dedicate their platforms to education, so when you’re wanting to learn about a topic, seek them out first. Also understand that though these creators are educators, they don’t represent their community as a whole and thus shouldn’t be expected to speak for them. 

It’s better to learn from multiple sources rather than base your knowledge off of one source. And remember, Google is free and has lots of resources made by activists with the specific purpose of educating others.

The reality is, that there might be conversations that stir up uncomfortable feelings – and that’s alright. Don’t project that discomfort onto creators or center those feelings of discomfort in these spaces. Breaking down internal discomfort allows for growth. Being presented with new information about a community’s experiences can come with a reality check and many creators understand and even expect it.

Engage Genuinely Marginalized Creators

Unfortunately, many marginalized creators only see a rise in engagement with their content and platforms when major issues are taking place in the world. That engagement dies down once the publicity from the media on the issue shifts away and perception from society as a whole wanes. 

It’s also not uncommon that marginalized creators’ content gets more engagement when they’re talking about pressing matters or trauma compared to when they’re sharing good news or moments from their life or with their content. 

teonawrites

they/them

Teona is part of the StreamerSqure staff as a writer and admin manager. They are a queer, disabled creator and social media influencer who loves writing, photography, beauty & fashion as well as video games. Tee started their content creator career as a freelance writer and blogger and since then have expanded to also include streaming variety content on Twitch. They use their platforms to share experiences with, and educate on, disability, chronic illness, neurodivergence and queerness as well as create spaces where we can be safe to explore ourselves.

Rather than engaging with their content when something big is happening in civil rights issues, genuinely engage and support these creators because you want to and not because you feel bad or you were reminded to.

Many creators from various marginalized identities also report noticing that the algorithms behind popular social media platforms or content platforms seem to work against them leading to lower reach and visibility and thus lower engagement. 

SIGNAL BOOSTING MARGINALIZED CREATORS

Boosting content on various social media platforms from marginalized creators also helps push back against biased algorithms that don’t give these creators the same prioritization. Let’s talk more about this below!

Highlight Marginalized Platforms & Voices

As marginalized creators, it can be difficult to get your content out there. There tends to be less representation for marginalized groups when it comes to the content that does get visibility. 

There’s quite a few ways you can help give their content a boost and up their visibility. So let’s go through it:

• Retweet and engage with social media posts related to content and streams so more people can see them and potentially check out their content.  
• Add creators you enjoy to your featured creators list! This means that anyone coming across your channel will get to see the featured channels you recommend.
• Raid into their streams when you know their content is similar to yours and your community would enjoy it. 
• Invite them to co-stream or play co-op games.
• Share their content links and media kit/business opportunity requests.

Promote Marginalized People for Opportunities

It’s hard to keep track of every opportunity that opens up and many creators may not have the connections others do to have the same access to them. A major aspect of networking outside of connecting with other creators is sharing opportunities with one another. 

Another key way to support marginalized creators is to refer them when you see these opportunities or send them over directly. You want to be mindful of boundaries and be sure to ask what kinds of opportunities they’re looking for first beforehand. If you see opportunities calling for creators who belong to specific identities, tag them or send an email to the one scouting for creators with the names, email addresses, platform links and even media kits if you have access to them.

Vouch for marginalized people and their content by backing up any partnership requests in public spaces. When you see someone putting their name in, hype them up to the potential business partners and urge your community to do the same. 

Monetary Support for Marginalized Groups and Individuals

Content creation can be expensive with an unequal return on the investment you put in. Monetary support is the most tangible way to offer support and there’s a wide variety of ways you can do this.

• For starters, you can subscribe to their Twitch or join their YouTube membership, gaining ad free viewership to their videos and streams or gift subscriptions to their existing community members.
• If monthly subscriptions aren’t your thing, many creators also have other means through StreamElements, Ko-Fi or BuyMeACoffee where they can receive one-time tips.
• If a creator has a wish list through Amazon or Throne, consider buying them something.
• Boost any mutual aid campaigns by making monetary donations, assisting in fundraising for the campaign through your own content, or sharing the campaign across your own spaces.

Take Action & Be an Ally

The final important way to support marginalized creators is to speak up. 

If you’re not a person of color and are in spaces and rooms where most of the faces you see look like yours, take note of that. Creative spaces can be exclusive, regardless of intent. From small opportunities to large ones, racial bias can still be pervasive, resulting in creators being left out even if their content and skills match with those who were allowed in. 

Things can’t change if more people don’t speak out and marginalized creators shouldn’t be the only ones fighting for better conditions in these spaces.

teonawrites

they/them

Teona is part of the StreamerSqure staff as a writer and admin manager. They are a queer, disabled creator and social media influencer who loves writing, photography, beauty & fashion as well as video games. Tee started their content creator career as a freelance writer and blogger and since then have expanded to also include streaming variety content on Twitch. They use their platforms to share experiences with, and educate on, disability, chronic illness, neurodivergence and queerness as well as create spaces where we can be safe to explore ourselves.

Speak up if possible when you notice discussions on diversity, inclusion and representation coming from spaces who’s makeup doesn’t align with the values they discuss. This especially applies when people and platforms speak on issues relating to marginalized communities but the creators presenting these conversations aren’t members of said communities.

Find more from Teonawrites as a StreamerSquare Premium member today! For even more details about how to speak up in your spaces, head over to our Premium module Activism in Streaming.