Shroud recently talked about how quiet chats are in 2026. I was curious, so I ran the numbers for my own channel, comparing every September from 2018 to 2026. From September 2026 to September 2018: ⏱️ Chats per Minute Watched are down 86%. 👀 Chats per Viewer are down 87%. ⌛ Chats per Hour Streamed are down 52%. So, at least for my channel, it's true. Viewers are significantly less chatty than they used to be. Possible reasons: 📉Falling Off. I have a stream where I talk about the streaming space; if the streaming is struggling (it is), there's less active interest in the topic. 👵 Age. People are older now, have more responsibilities, and don't have as much time to actively consume. 💥 Ads. The platform breaks the experience up far more than it ever did. 📱 Mobile Viewers. The platform is hyperfixated on fickle mobile viewers who watch for shorter durations. 💹 Rise of the Lurker. Other communities encourage it, so it becomes the expected experience across the platform. 🪙 Economy. People are struggling; it's better to put effort into a side hustle than a Twitch chat. 🤖 Viewbots. Bots don't typically chat. 💀 Culture Death. Twitch Culture has really disappeared since the pandemic. When was the last time we had a new sitewide copypasta?