Twitch introduces "shoutout", a new way to follow other streamers on the platform

sportskeeda.com:

Twitch has introduced a new feature that will allow creators to "shoutout" users from chat without any assistance from external bots. This feature was brought to light earlier today after Twitch Support's official Twitter page announced its inclusion in their already eclectic collection of features. In addition, they have also announced that the "shoutout" feature will be rolled out today itself.

For those unaware, the shoutout allows creators to highlight specific chat users/followers and "share the love." To enable this feature, creators/mods need to type the command "/shoutout" onto the chat section followed by the name of the fan. Upon doing so, the name will pop up at the top of the chat box for the rest of the viewers.

As of now, only creators/broadcasters and their mods can enjoy using the feature. This has been done to avoid spamming by other users in the chat. However, it should be noted that broadcasters can also deploy external bots to further modify the feature. One use of mods can be to generate auto shoutouts so that streamers can avoid manually typing in the command themselves.

As mentioned earlier, once the command is registered, a pop-up box will appear at the top of the chat section. Viewers can use the drop-down signal to further see who has received the special mention. From there, viewers can then directly follow the highlighted users or read their upcoming stream schedule (if any).

The brand new feature has been largely well received so far. However, there remains a section of fans who have expressed their reservations. News of the update was shared on the popular subreddit r/Twitch, which has garnered a lot of comments.

Here are some of the reactions:

Some fans have remained skeptical about the feature.