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Followers, views, likes: cha-ching. Syracuse University students Warren Zhu and Jamiah Wong are making a living on platforms such as video sharing app TikTok and interactive live streaming service Twitch.

Zhu makes roughly $200 to $250 a month doing what he said he would be doing in his free time anyway.

The accounting senior got to work on Twitch while at home in Brooklyn during the peak of the pandemic in June 2020. With a new PC, no employment opportunities and an abundance of newfound free time, Zhu started livestreaming on his account Zhuted. He did livestreams as he played video games and looked at houses on Zillow, all while narrating and providing his own commentary.

Having been on Twitch before gaining a following, Zhu was familiar with the money that could come from it.

“At times it feels like a side hobby, but then I look back and think about it, and I do this for four hours daily and have only a couple days off a week. So I guess you could treat it as a part time job,” Zhu said.

Though Zhu does plan on pursuing a career in accounting full-time post graduation, he believes his “side-gig” on Twitch can still fit into this type of lifestyle.

“It’s something I can come home to from a 9-5.” Zhu said.

Twitch provides financial compensation for streamers based on several factors. To be paid by the streaming service one must reach “Twitch Affiliate” status, which Zhu said isn’t that hard to get.

Once someone becomes a Twitch Affiliate, funds can come from ad revenue, a personal donation link or a Twitch currency called Twitch “Bits.” Users can spend the “Bits” on their favorite streamers’ sites. Twitch awards the streamers one cent for every “Bit” used on their channel.

Though this may sound like an idealistic and hassle-free way to make money as a college student, Zhu said that being a part of the Twitch universe does not come without its downsides.

“Twitch has a really big problem right now with hate speech and harassment on the platform,” Zhu said.

Trolls and bots flooding his comment section with hate is not uncommon for the streamer, he said. Despite this, he sees Twitch streaming as a part of his future as he continues to make friends on the platform and grow his following.

“There’s no reason I should stop,” Zhu said.

Similar to Zhu, Wong, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, started his journey to becoming a viral TikToker in the midst of the pandemic.

Now, after accumulating two million followers and over 42 million likes on his TikTok account @willy.wongka, Wong has made a name for himself among the comedians and TikTokers of his generation.

Wong never set out to rack up millions of followers and a fan base when he made his first video at the suggestion of his cousin in March 2020.

He attributes “blowing up” on TikTok to one distinct and very high-pitched trait: his scream.

“Screaming is one of my talents, I can scream in a very specific way that my followers like,” Wong said.

Based on views alone, Wong makes $450 a month from the TikTok Creator Fund. If a brand wants to partner with Wong as a brand deal, he said he could make a whopping $800 to $1000 for one 60-second video.

His account feed is filled with original content including comedic skits, screaming videos and iterations of the viral “Point of View” videos.

His ideas stem from shower thoughts and things that occur to him throughout his day-to-day life, he said.

The TikTok sensation hopes to get to the point where he can support himself from the income of TikTok. Though the pay is a major perk, Wong agreed with Zhu — it doesn’t come without a price.

“Sometimes people think creators on here don’t have any problems or that they’re not struggling the same as everyone else,” Wong said. “But sometimes it can get to you, especially when views are low.”

Wong said he sometimes finds a correlation between view counts, pressure and feeling like a failure yet is still surrounded by the support of his friends, family and community of fans and followers.

His friends hold him in high regards to his success.

“It’s weird because it feels like this has always been a part of my life,” Wong said. “It feels like I’ve always had this, and I’m able to share my personality with so many other people. And that I have more friends who can see who I am.”

Published on November 9, 2021 at 12:41 am