We were just getting into the idea of a strange app called Meerkat, enabling Twitter users the ability to live stream video content to followers. Periscope followed in quick succession, the difference being that Twitter created and owns the video streaming app. Meerkat can no longer use Twitter as a platform to live stream content.
The Periscope app can be downloaded in your app store and connects to your existing Twitter account, making it easy to find people who you would like to follow. The app is described as: “What if you could see through the eyes of a protester in Ukraine? Or watch the sunrise from a hot air balloon in Cappadocia? It may sound crazy, but we wanted to build the closest thing to teleportation. While there are many ways to discover events and places, we realized there is no better way to experience a place right now than through live video. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around. “
The app has become immensely successful overseas, with celebrities like Justin Bieber, the Kardashians and Ellen DeGeneres all joining in on the real time video streaming action. It is slowly picking up in South Africa but our high data charges make it expensive to use, unless you are of course connected to a WIFI connection.
Periscope also saw fans starting crazes such as what’s in your fridge, where users from around the world would show followers what food items they had in their fridge. There was also a craze called egging , where users would drop eggs on the floor, the more eggs you dropped the more people liked your live video.
On a serious note, Periscope has huge potential for brands and companies to use this tool, as a means of engaging with others. Let’s just hope our data costs become cheaper before then!