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Over the last few weeks, Twitch streamers have been training their cameras on their mattresses as they doze off.

In the intervening hours, viewers use Twitch's donation function to gift them small quantities of money - two dollars here, five dollars there. A couple of streamers cutely refer to them as "slumber parties", Arc Technica reported on Sunday.

Sleep streams draw more from ASMR videos or Japanese cuddle cafes, where patrons pay hourly fees to feel intimacy with someone they have never met.

Recently, Twitch's category for just talking, as opposed to gaming, has gained meteoric popularity in part because thousands of viewers at any given moment crave parasocial interaction.

The lasting appeal of Twitch is its interactive element, which brings fans closer than ever - at least, digitally - to the objects of their fandom, the report added.

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