Imagine being able to broadcast video from your phone in real time to unlimited audiences with just a touch on your screen. With the launch of two live streaming apps Meerkat and Periscope this past February 27 and March 26 respectively, it seems like 2015 is the year for live-streaming video. Sharing our world instantly has become infinitely easier, with apps like these creating a platform that redefines how we view and utilize social media.
The Appeal of Live Streaming Apps
The apps are popularly used by users to broadcast important events in their lives – recently, it has gained massive appeal for sports fans and concert goers who wish to share what they’re seeing in real time to their Twitter followers.
Periscope Vs. Meerkat
Periscope and Meerkat have plenty of similarities, but they also have their own distinct features. Both apps utilize Twitter, sending a streaming link to your followers where they can view your video in real time. With Meerkat, live comments to your video will appear as tweet replies that will instantly appear and will then linger on your screen as you stream. Periscope’s live feedback feature on the other hand, has been deemed less intrusive and more interactive as the streamer can see live feedback that subtly fades out, allowing them to have an unobstructed view of their screen.
With Periscope, users also have the option to receive push notifications from their viewers, limiting the amount of feedback within the app and creating a less cluttered environment. You can also send hearts to a video, expressing how much you “like” what’s being streamed.
Periscope allows for more options for users as well, like adjusting the framing of your camera’s view first before starting your broadcast and having an option for viewers to disable their current location or limit their stream to private viewers. Meerkat on the other hand, starts streaming immediately as soon as you press the “Stream” button.
Both apps allow viewers to download a replay of their videos. As of late, both are only available for iOS devices though versions for Android are being developed.
It sounds logic for those apps to use Twitter, I’m hoping they start working with other social networks tho, because not everyone is a big fan of Twitter. I hope these apps can be used with Facebook, I bet they’d appeal to even more people. I know it would appeal to me and I don’t even use Facebook anymore, but would consider using it again if I could stream live important events and share them with my relatives living abroad.
This is possibly the only real appeal I see in these apps – being able to share landmark moments, live, with loved ones. I would agree that a Facebook interface would be of more use than Twitter though – simply for the higher amount of users.
I’ve always been a fan of live streaming. having apps really help the situation as well and puts you in control. You can direct and produce your own content as well. I’m definitely going to try these apps.
That’s awesome and good news for those who love to do it. But I personally stay away from these things because I often see them as something to be quite dangerous because streaming your life is not that great if it’s not limited to a certain watcher or people. I think it would be better to limit, but hey, I know there’s a lot of bloggers and people who would love to stream their lives for certain purposes, there’s loads of them on YouTube!
I can see these apps being used mainly by D-list celebrities and everyday narcissists. I cannot see any real value in streaming your everyday activities though – I mean, who on earth would be interested unless you’re moderately famous?
I agree. Perhaps family members might be interested in baby’s first steps or a child’s dance recital or softball game. Other than that, how excited our people going to get about traffic jams, long lines at the fast food joint and all the other, oh so mundane parts of our lives. Sadly, some will consider that “very interesting”. After all, the president met with a woman who bathes in fruit loops. Sigh…
Oh no! This is just going to get used for mombies to post endless streams of thier kids isn’t it! Thankfully, it looks as though we have a choice of whether to view it or not and as it isn’t a Facebook app, we won;t have to deal with it clogging our feeds up.
These products are excellent for these times and days. When everybody has a blog and someone might want to live stream specific events to their audience. I also like the high level of social interaction built in the program’s features. Especially twitter is something I like to see being used in live mode. Uncensored human emotions and expressions are often hilarious.
That’s so true, I found them hilarious too!
I remember Periscope was used by people in somewhat malicious ways. I read an article that stated that Periscope was used to broadcast episodes of Game of Thrones, which basically translates as into straight piracy. They have came to a new low this time…
I could only see such apps hogging loads of mobile data, or having to compromise with really bad quality. Is there really a need to live-stream videos, rather than record it and upload it to YouTube?
I really don’t think there is. Remember when the internet first got popular and there were all those pointless webcam sites where you could watch a certain thing for 24 hours? Seems too much like this to me.
Live streaming from smartphones seems to really be the direction that technology is going next. Skype allows you to broadcast live, but these new streaming companies are taking it a step further. I just wish that they would make the apps available for both iPhone and Android users around the same time. Android is just as big of a market and should be treated that way. I’m sure many Android users share the sentiment of being tired of waiting on new apps we want to try and use.
Periscope is my favorite of all streaming apps. Most big Youtubers use it to communicate with their fans and I think that’s pretty cool. There’s just something so fun in doing nothing (in my case) but watch your favorite people talk about their lives or anything really. I like the comment sections because you get to react and talk to other fans at that instant so that’s another cool feature.
I think that this is an interesting way to share to the world what are you doing or where you are. One day I was just first trying persicope and there was this person doing scuba diving and streaming the whole thing. It was amazing! it was such a beautiful view and so much variety of fishes and I just loved it. I think that that would be one of the main reasons that I would use those apps on a regular basis, but I’m not a big fan of sharing my life with others!