Jessie Gurunathan: Tik Tok star Pinkydoll made me feel like my Boomer parents

TikTok's viral sensation, Pinkydoll.

OPINION

This week I somehow managed to find myself falling deeper and deeper into a side of TikTok I’ve never ventured before and I’ve never felt more like my parents in my life. I didn’t know where I was, nor had I noticed the two hours that had somehow passed me by. It all started one afternoon when, as an older Millennial, I wanted to understand what an NPC was and why all the youths (yes, I say “youths” now because apparently that’s what happens when you turn 40) were talking about online.

If you’re allergic to computers and gaming like me, you might be wondering what the heck an “NPC” is. Put simply, an NPC is a non-player character in a game that is controlled by the computer. NPCs can be found in all types of games, and they can be used to provide information, give players quests, or simply populate the game world. The term “NPC” has also been used in a more informal way to describe people who are perceived as lacking independent thought or blindly following trends.

As someone whose only exposure to gaming consists of entering the dark dungeon that’s usually our home office to remind my partner to come up for air and have some “real life” sustenance, my knowledge is limited. Luckily, being in a relationship with a hardcore gaming geek has its perks and my beloved geek happily played tour guide and took me through his virtual reality. I concluded that to my (very) basic understanding, an NPC is like an extra or supporting cast member on the set of a movie.

Enter Pinkydoll, the latest viral pop culture sensation.

Pinkydoll, whose real name is Fedha Sinon, is a Canadian livestreamer and social media personality. Her NPC live streams have gone viral, and she has amassed more than 750,000 followers on TikTok.

The first time I ever saw one of her live streams my initial reaction was utter confusion. I didn’t get it and I found myself wondering, is this what my Boomer parents felt like when my siblings and I helped them set up their Instagram accounts? How humbling. The thing is, I couldn’t stop watching her. I found her completely mesmerising - and I’m not the only one.

On any given day, Pinkydoll typically has between 1000 and 10,000 viewers per live stream. Her most popular live stream to date had more than 50,000 viewers. What hooked me though, was discovering how much money successful NPC streamers like Pinkydoll can make from a single live stream. Pinkydoll’s are typically live for a few hours, and she has said that she makes between $2000 and $3000 per live stream. This number can vary depending on the number of viewers she has and the amount of gifts she receives. Her most popular live stream to date earned her more than $7000.

Tik Tok star Pinkydoll Photo/Supplied

Pinkydoll’s live stream income is generated through TikTok’s gifting system. When viewers send Pinkydoll gifts, they are essentially purchasing virtual items that appear on her screen. These gifts can be anything from flowers to cars, and they range in price from a few cents to a few dollars.

NPC streamers like Pinkydoll have their fair share of critics. There are those who accuse streamers of being unoriginal and that copying the behaviour of non-player characters in video games is nothing creative or innovative. Others find it strange and unsettling and see it as a way of dehumanising the streamer, but I disagree. I actually watched one of Pinkydoll’s live streams - along with 8000 others - and, I’ve got to say, I found it to be a welcome bit of escapism from my everyday reality.

Pinkydoll’s livestreams are popular for a reason. I do think it takes a certain level of skill and creativity to be able to capture and hold the attention of her audience for hours on end. She’s smart the way she manages to make it an interactive experience for her fans because every “gift” she receives is monetised. It’s kind of genius really and begs the question, are the rest of us slaving away in our 9-5s doing it all wrong? I mean, if my high school careers adviser had told me that I could make US$100,000 a month by live-streaming off my phone for a couple hours everyday, who knows, I could have been the original poor man’s Pinkydoll!

Before any of you who have read this far go off and check out what all the fuss is about, be warned, phrases like “yes, yes, yes” and “mmmmm icecream so good” may become lodged in your memory bank and play on repeat.

Yes, it’s as annoying as it sounds.