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Showing posts with the label digital intimacy

Ghost Channels, Silent Audiences: What Kenyan YouTube Reveals About Us

There is something strange happening in Kenya’s YouTube world . A creator grows an audience, builds a loyal following, sometimes even becomes a household name—and then they disappear. No goodbye, no explanation, just silence. The channel remains, frozen in time, while subscribers remain subscribed, faithfully waiting. Unsubscribing from a channel takes less than a minute. Yet, somehow, it feels impossible for many Kenyans to press that button. Why? The Illusion of Relationship Part of it is the false sense of relationship we form with creators. In the comments you see it: “Any Kenyans here?” “I’m first today!” “Me coming back from work, dropping everything to watch.” These are not just casual comments. They reveal something deeper: people tying creators into the rhythms of their daily lives. The notification bell becomes a companion. The video becomes an evening ritual. The creator becomes, in some sense, a friend. So when a creator disappears, unsubscribing feels like...