NEW YORK – A giveaway by live streamer Kai Cenat led to chaos in Union Square on Friday.
Police say Cenat will face at least two counts of incitement to riot and unlawful assembly, along with several other charges.
- Read more:Chaos erupts in Manhattan’s Union Square during live streamer Kai Cenat’s giveaway
But who is he and how did he gain such influence?
Best known for his animated live streams on YouTube and Twitch, Cenat has built a large following. According to the BBC, the 21-year-old recently broke the record for attracting the most Twitch subscribers.
Twitch is a subscription-based platform that allows users to watch people play video games and interact with them at the same time.
Cenat has 6.5 million followers on Twitch and 3.6 million subscribers on YouTube.
He rose to prominence earlier this year after livestreaming on Twitch for 24 hours straight.
Watch: Kai Cenat taken into custody for questioning
Cenat is popular for its diverse range of streaming content, including jokes, skits, games, and a glimpse into his daily life.
According to NPR, popular music artists such as Drake, Ice Spice, Lil Baby and Lil Uzi Vert have joined Cenat live on camera.
During a live stream on Twitch earlier this week, Cenat told his followers, “Friday we’re going to do a huge giveaway.”
With those few words and a flyer showing the location, word spread to the millions of subscribers, who were told that Cenat would be giving away PCs, PlayStation 5s, and $100 gift cards.
- Read more:NYPD officers “attacked, crushed, shoved” during chaotic Union Square giveaway, officials say
“It’s really just the world of influencers, and we just live in it,” said Washington Post tech columnist Taylor Lorenz.
Lorenz knows it’s something we need to get used to, but says there’s a much better way for influencers with millions of followers to meet their fans — using permits and possibly capping the number of fans who can get a free gift. to get.
“You should ideally have an RSVP system because when you have millions and millions of followers online, you just say, hey, someone’s coming, coming, you don’t know yourself,” she said.
Police say Cenat did not obtain permits for Friday’s giveaway in Union Square.
“There’s a team of people around these types of influencers who really handle their business, handle their public events, handle their press, I think those people — the responsibility obviously falls on Kai, but I think those people are also to blame ,” Lorenz said.
