VirtualHug

VirtualHug is a multicolored heart created as a way to send affection and comfort through Twitch chat. Twitch added the global on June 9, 2020, when physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic had made the idea of a "virtual hug" unusually literal for online communities.

The command converts a physical gesture into something viewers can send through a livestream, while the heart keeps the meaning focused on care rather than depicting two people hugging. The timing and design made VirtualHug especially natural for a period when friends, families, creators and viewers were spending more of their social time together online.

Type VirtualHug in Twitch chat to use this emote. Viewers use VirtualHug to comfort someone, congratulate a streamer or chatter, respond to emotional news, support a community member and send affection when an in-person hug is impossible.