Streaming vs. 9-5 Job Debate

About

Streaming vs. 9-5 Job Debate, also known as Streaming is Harder Than a 9-to-5 Job or Streaming vs. Real Job, refers to a viral debate centered around prominent streamers claiming their work routines are "harder" than a 9-to-5 job. The discussion started on TikTok in early September 2022 but gained significant attention in November 2024 after FaZe Clan streamer Plaqueboymax claimed that livestreaming is harder than normal 9-5 jobs. As the debate was popularized on the internet, netizens fueled social media with jokes mocking the streamers' "harder" life as content creators. The debate also inspired streamers Kai Cenat and Duke Dennis to post a sponsored video while working a shift at McDonald's. Another wave of discourse about the topic spread in early 2024 when Twitch streamer Hasan Piker sparked controversy over a comment saying streaming was more soul-sucking than regular jobs.

Origin

On September 5th, 2022, TikTok^[1] creator @jd.lion replied to a follower's comment saying, "Content creation is harder than your 9 to 5," delving into the hardships faced while trying to create content for the internet. The video (seen below) amassed more than 136,000 likes and 34,000 comments in two years.

The debate gained significant attention in 2024 after a few streamers alleged their work is harder than a 9-5 job.

On February 24, 2024, Twitch streamer HasanAbi aired a "Just Chatting" stream in which he watched Reesa Teesa's "Who TF Did I Marry" TikTok series. Around the 28-minute mark, he stated, "Yes, a real job can be gruesome, a real job can make you very tired, but a real job doesn't suck the soul out of you the same way that nine hours of streaming absolutely will. Social battery-wise … unless you're in retail, it's very different. A real job does not expend your social battery in the same way that Twitch streaming does" (seen below).

The comment quickly garnered backlash and reactions online as many mocked him in the following weeks.

Millionaire streamer Hasan Piker claims that "A real job doesn't suck the soul out of you in the same way that streaming absolutely will." pic.twitter.com/EDC6k675LN

— TCBrady (@TCBrady133) February 24, 2024

PlaqueBoyMax was one of the creators that commented on the subject later in 2024 and quickly ignited a viral debate on social media after he mentioned in a livestream on November 4th, 2024, that being a streamer is "harder than a 9-5 job and that no one truly understands what a top streamer goes through mentally."

X^[2] user @FearedBuck posted a clip from PlaqueBoyMax's livestream (seen below), which garnered over 10 million views and 43,000 likes in a week.

Spread

In the following weeks of November 2024, the streaming vs. 9-5 job debate drew other content creators and netizens to share their thoughts or simply joke about the subject on social media, especially on X, YouTube and TikTok.

For example, on November 13th, 2024, streamers Kai Cenat^[3] and Duke Dennis posted a sponsored video with McDonald's amid the viral 9-5 debate, which amassed more than 1 million views and 52,000 likes in a day.