clip farming noun [U]
UK /ˈklɪp ˌfɑː.mɪŋ/ US /ˈklɪp ˌfɑːr.mɪŋ/
the act of deliberately doing or saying something shocking or dramatic in a video on social media with the aim of producing short videos that are then widely shared online
Clip farming is a debated tactic in the streaming world that is used as a growth hack for creators. At its core, clip farming is when a streamer does or says something intentionally outrageous, funny, or shocking on stream—just to get clipped and shared. It’s like clickbait, but live.
[streamlabs.com, 11 July 2025]
nuisance streamer noun [C]
UK /ˈnjuː.sᵊns ˌstriː.məʳ/ US /ˈnuː.sᵊns ˌstriː.mɚ/
a live streamer who deliberately annoys people or causes trouble in public or online in order to attract viewers and followers
The stance is growing increasingly common across East and Southeast Asia: When it comes to nuisance streamers — online personalities who livestream their travels, often leaning on transgressive behavior as a means of creating viral content — criminal behavior is being met not with slaps on the wrist or expedited deportation but with serious legal consequences.
[japantimes.co.jp, 27 December 2025]
dark social noun [U]
UK /ˌdɑːk ˈsəʊ.ʃəl/ US /ˌdɑːrk ˈsoʊ.ʃəl/
the sharing of content privately online rather than on public social media platforms, making it difficult to track where the content has come from
Public likes and comments are fading while private chats are exploding. This quiet migration has a name: dark social. Dark social isn’t as sinister as it sounds. It’s simply the collective term for private or semi-private channels where people pass links, screenshots, memes, and recommendations.
[thedigitalage.co.uk, 26 September 2025]
Ah yes the world of streaming!
“Dark social” was once the norm especially when it came to chat rooms – IRC and ICQ being two places where it used to happen.
And a lot of the things which happen on “dark social” might happen in your average group chat
so I think it is more like “gone dark” or “going dark” or in “dark mode”
than anything creepy and evil per se.
***
Nuisance streamers:
In Poland and indeed much of Central Europe there was a streaming pattern called “patostreamer”.
I am remembering a book about public shame when it came to people on the trains of Hong Kong? South Korea? and they would do shocking things much the same as the nuisance streamers and with some of the same motives and means – if not the same opportunities.
***
Clip farming:
There is just something about live clickbait isn’t there?
And I think we might consider by whom clips are made and who they are for.
Especially on Twitch with some of the 30-or-fewer second clips.