🔗 Share this article From Digital Streamer to Political Lightning Rod: The Ascent of Hasan Piker Hasan Piker calls it a simple litmus test: “You get on a bus and you have a brief moment to describe whatever online phenomena unfolded to the bus driver before them looking at you and going, ‘Leave the fucking bus.’” The vast majority of online conversation, regardless of how intense, fails the test, he contends – not least an incident recently, when a person on a Dublin street requested to take a picture with Piker, then held up a picture of his dog and yelled “Free Kaya!” Never mind the bus driver; trying to explain the meaning of this particular event could easily take the rest of this article. Navigating the Blurred Zone Piker increasingly exists in this liminal zone more and more these days. Until relatively recently, the 34-year-old was known only to the digitally immersed, especially Americans in their twenties and thirties, mostly thanks to his dominant presence on the streaming channel Twitch. But since the last presidential election, Piker has become an in-demand voice in “the real world” for his analysis on the struggling political left, and specifically that constantly fretted-over demographic, young men. A Favorite Target for the Right Predictably, this also positions Piker a favorite hate figure of the political right. To his enemies there is plenty to dislike: his blunt political stances; his Turkish, Muslim background; his associations with progressive politicians. But they also resent the fact that Piker – tall, muscular, fashionable and handsome – defies stereotypical lefty stereotypes. He has not been afraid his physique in shirtless magazine spreads or social media posts. “I’ll be honest, I had no idea that this is what I was going to be doing,” says Piker. “For instance, if someone were to ask me, did you imagine that you’d become a Twitch streamer? I’d be like, what is Twitch?” It’s the morning and he’s preparing to start his regular 11am show. He typically streams live for seven to eight hours consecutively, talking improvised about current affairs, pop culture, what he’s up to, playing video games, engaging with memes and media clips, and interacting with the constant stream of messages from viewers. From The Young Turks to Twitch Establishing himself on Twitch, a platform primarily for streaming video games, was a conscious decision, Piker explains. His media career started out with The Young Turks, the left-leaning online news network. His parents are Turkish immigrants, and he grew up between New Jersey and Istanbul before studying political science. He graduated to his own show on the network in 2016 but in 2018 he chose to go solo on Twitch, to provide an alternative to what he saw as overwhelmingly rightwing, and often divisive views that infested the space. “You can find ideological variety amongst the gamers, among the developers, among the consumers, but unfortunately, the market for political expression in this arena is so heavily dominated by the right,” he says. The Problem with the American Left This is the core issue with the American left in broad terms, argues Piker: they’ve relinquished so many battlegrounds to the right. “You still have to promote your ideas … but they just completely abandoned all notion of marketing or branding.” Piker is regularly sharply critical of recent administrations on his show, particularly on foreign policy, but he is not a loyal supporter of the major center-left party. His own politics are broadly social democratic and “compassion-driven”, he clarifies. “My viewpoint is actually the standard position in much of the world.” Controversies and Criticism One of the risks of Piker’s type of informal, accessible commentary is that he’ll sometimes go too far, which gives his opponents fodder. He has been suspended from Twitch multiple times for perceived offensive content. In a highly publicized incident, in 2019, in the framework of a wider critique, he made a comment about a historic attack that was seized upon by conservative media outlets. Piker later apologised and said the language was ill-chosen. Likewise, Piker’s outspoken support for Palestinians and criticism of certain state policies have led to accusations of prejudice, which he strongly rejects. He has also been mocked for expressing admiration for another major global power, after a trip there. “I have no issues getting vilified by people on the right. I relish when my enemies hate me,” he states. “It is what it is.” Real-World Consequences The hate constantly threatens to spill offline, however. On one occasion, Piker was detained by American border agents on his re-entry from travel abroad. They interrogated him about his views before releasing him. “I think they did it because they are aware of who I am,” he said. These levels of enmity help explain the “Free Kaya!” incident in Dublin. It originated from a Twitch stream where his dog, Kaya, made a noise suddenly. Online conspiracy theorists swiftly concluded that Piker was harming the animal, igniting a online controversy dubbed “the collar incident.” Even a major animal rights organization put out a statement. This led to the surprise encounter by a random in Dublin. Piker handled the situation in his stride. Online, though, the encounter was clipped from his live stream and shared with his reply edited out. “They wanted to make it look like I was shocked,” he said. The Difference Between Online and Offline Worlds This illustrates the chasm between the offline and online worlds, he explains: “It’s very difficult to maintain a very hostile energy in the real world without coming across as hysterical and odd. Interactions on the internet foster this environment where you can be as aggressive as you want.” That Dublin encounter was fairly low stakes. In the US, he admits to feeling less safe. The assassination of a conservative commentator served as a shocking example of where this online hate can end up. Piker watched the event develop in real time on his stream. Piker continues to do real-life streams in the US. “I can’t let fear dictate my life. I’ve gotten death threats for over a decade,” he says. Unhealthy parasocial relationships are part of the territory, he accepts. The Future and Finding Balance Having been prescient about the last election, how does Piker view the next few years? “The landscape shifts quite rapidly, but if you look at the avenues where there is some semblance of hope, it’s the left candidates that are actually really galvanising the public,” he says. He points to the progressive “wing”. “We have to embrace that, because I feel like it’s a matter of life or death at this point,” he continues. “So I will do anything in my power to try and avoid a worse alternative.” The American left could perhaps do with someone like Piker. But it seems unlikely as if Piker is tempted in mainstream political office. He makes periodic media guest spots, but he’s not drawn further into traditional media, he says. “Viewers is moving in my direction, and away from traditional publishers.” And on top of that, he still finds it fulfilling: “I find a lot of emotional fulfilment in what I do.” As he’s talking, he’s got one eye on the clock. Another marathon live stream awaits, and he’s eager to get started.
Hasan Piker calls it a simple litmus test: “You get on a bus and you have a brief moment to describe whatever online phenomena unfolded to the bus driver before them looking at you and going, ‘Leave the fucking bus.’” The vast majority of online conversation, regardless of how intense, fails the test, he contends – not least an incident recently, when a person on a Dublin street requested to take a picture with Piker, then held up a picture of his dog and yelled “Free Kaya!” Never mind the bus driver; trying to explain the meaning of this particular event could easily take the rest of this article. Navigating the Blurred Zone Piker increasingly exists in this liminal zone more and more these days. Until relatively recently, the 34-year-old was known only to the digitally immersed, especially Americans in their twenties and thirties, mostly thanks to his dominant presence on the streaming channel Twitch. But since the last presidential election, Piker has become an in-demand voice in “the real world” for his analysis on the struggling political left, and specifically that constantly fretted-over demographic, young men. A Favorite Target for the Right Predictably, this also positions Piker a favorite hate figure of the political right. To his enemies there is plenty to dislike: his blunt political stances; his Turkish, Muslim background; his associations with progressive politicians. But they also resent the fact that Piker – tall, muscular, fashionable and handsome – defies stereotypical lefty stereotypes. He has not been afraid his physique in shirtless magazine spreads or social media posts. “I’ll be honest, I had no idea that this is what I was going to be doing,” says Piker. “For instance, if someone were to ask me, did you imagine that you’d become a Twitch streamer? I’d be like, what is Twitch?” It’s the morning and he’s preparing to start his regular 11am show. He typically streams live for seven to eight hours consecutively, talking improvised about current affairs, pop culture, what he’s up to, playing video games, engaging with memes and media clips, and interacting with the constant stream of messages from viewers. From The Young Turks to Twitch Establishing himself on Twitch, a platform primarily for streaming video games, was a conscious decision, Piker explains. His media career started out with The Young Turks, the left-leaning online news network. His parents are Turkish immigrants, and he grew up between New Jersey and Istanbul before studying political science. He graduated to his own show on the network in 2016 but in 2018 he chose to go solo on Twitch, to provide an alternative to what he saw as overwhelmingly rightwing, and often divisive views that infested the space. “You can find ideological variety amongst the gamers, among the developers, among the consumers, but unfortunately, the market for political expression in this arena is so heavily dominated by the right,” he says. The Problem with the American Left This is the core issue with the American left in broad terms, argues Piker: they’ve relinquished so many battlegrounds to the right. “You still have to promote your ideas … but they just completely abandoned all notion of marketing or branding.” Piker is regularly sharply critical of recent administrations on his show, particularly on foreign policy, but he is not a loyal supporter of the major center-left party. His own politics are broadly social democratic and “compassion-driven”, he clarifies. “My viewpoint is actually the standard position in much of the world.” Controversies and Criticism One of the risks of Piker’s type of informal, accessible commentary is that he’ll sometimes go too far, which gives his opponents fodder. He has been suspended from Twitch multiple times for perceived offensive content. In a highly publicized incident, in 2019, in the framework of a wider critique, he made a comment about a historic attack that was seized upon by conservative media outlets. Piker later apologised and said the language was ill-chosen. Likewise, Piker’s outspoken support for Palestinians and criticism of certain state policies have led to accusations of prejudice, which he strongly rejects. He has also been mocked for expressing admiration for another major global power, after a trip there. “I have no issues getting vilified by people on the right. I relish when my enemies hate me,” he states. “It is what it is.” Real-World Consequences The hate constantly threatens to spill offline, however. On one occasion, Piker was detained by American border agents on his re-entry from travel abroad. They interrogated him about his views before releasing him. “I think they did it because they are aware of who I am,” he said. These levels of enmity help explain the “Free Kaya!” incident in Dublin. It originated from a Twitch stream where his dog, Kaya, made a noise suddenly. Online conspiracy theorists swiftly concluded that Piker was harming the animal, igniting a online controversy dubbed “the collar incident.” Even a major animal rights organization put out a statement. This led to the surprise encounter by a random in Dublin. Piker handled the situation in his stride. Online, though, the encounter was clipped from his live stream and shared with his reply edited out. “They wanted to make it look like I was shocked,” he said. The Difference Between Online and Offline Worlds This illustrates the chasm between the offline and online worlds, he explains: “It’s very difficult to maintain a very hostile energy in the real world without coming across as hysterical and odd. Interactions on the internet foster this environment where you can be as aggressive as you want.” That Dublin encounter was fairly low stakes. In the US, he admits to feeling less safe. The assassination of a conservative commentator served as a shocking example of where this online hate can end up. Piker watched the event develop in real time on his stream. Piker continues to do real-life streams in the US. “I can’t let fear dictate my life. I’ve gotten death threats for over a decade,” he says. Unhealthy parasocial relationships are part of the territory, he accepts. The Future and Finding Balance Having been prescient about the last election, how does Piker view the next few years? “The landscape shifts quite rapidly, but if you look at the avenues where there is some semblance of hope, it’s the left candidates that are actually really galvanising the public,” he says. He points to the progressive “wing”. “We have to embrace that, because I feel like it’s a matter of life or death at this point,” he continues. “So I will do anything in my power to try and avoid a worse alternative.” The American left could perhaps do with someone like Piker. But it seems unlikely as if Piker is tempted in mainstream political office. He makes periodic media guest spots, but he’s not drawn further into traditional media, he says. “Viewers is moving in my direction, and away from traditional publishers.” And on top of that, he still finds it fulfilling: “I find a lot of emotional fulfilment in what I do.” As he’s talking, he’s got one eye on the clock. Another marathon live stream awaits, and he’s eager to get started.