Periscope, the future of social media?
You have probably heard of this new live-streaming app that people seem to be raving about. If not, read more here.
Fashion and Periscope
As Line has recently live streamed Burberry’s live show during the London Fashion Week, technology has made live streaming much more seamless and enjoyable.
We already have Instagram where we can get sneaky behind the scene looks of our beloved brands, and Vine for cheeky and funny branded videos. Even Snapchat, if you have a gazillion to spend in order to be featured on Discover.
But while the aforementioned platforms can support respectively 15, 6 and 10 seconds videos, with Periscope you can stream until your battery – or you – shuts down. So, you could stream in one video, no interruptions, the tension and the behind the scene before the fashion show, the action on the catwalk, then interviews and drinks after the event.
Hospitality and Periscope
With Facebook or Twitter, digital narratives used to be constructed via words and images. But the art of storytelling is moving from simply ‘telling’ to ‘doing’, using Periscope. A storytelling via live-streaming will be able to deliver more compelling and stronger messages and effectively engage with others.
Show your kayaking skills to the world, or the art of falconry right here right now. Businesses selling experience-centred services, like AmaZing Venues could find potentials from Periscope as consumers now create and spread visual stories of their exclusive hotel experience, wedding venues or even kayaking adventures to those who might be interested.
Live news streaming
The market today is never a static place, where information is constantly exchanged and updated. In the world we live in, ‘nothing stands still’, says Adrian Burton. Live-streaming apps like Periscope have a sense of urgency and spontaneity, feeding users with more contents and events of that particular moment. It is the answer to those hungry users who want to be instantly connected and always updated. Just like how people found out about the fire explosion in New York on Periscope, we might soon use such apps as one of the sources for first-hand information and experience, along with news media. Yes, Twitter works the same way, and it’s been the first platform for live updates about your Tube station operations or more serious events, but it has obvious limitations, e.g. a journalist using Twitter will constantly have to deal with the the 140 (minus the ones taken by the picture) characters, while with Periscope she will just need three smartphones or tablets with a fully charged battery.
‘Seeing is believing’
‘So far, The Verge, The Guardian, Sky News and the BBC have already broadcasted using the app, and presenter Kay Burley used it behind the scenes of ITV’s Leader Debates in the UK.’ So here we see the rise of another source to get a glimpse of behind-the-scenes – e.g. streaming what is happening real-time behind the newsroom. For example, Sky news showed the view behind the camera and used the chat function to engage with the audience by encouraging them to post comments and questions (read more on theGuardian).
The Economist was also the first ones to utilise this app to explain deflation in the UK on a live stream where the economist correspondent answered questions from users. “Live streaming is fun and has the informality of Twitter rather than the seriousness of TV, so we should do more of it,” said the Economist’s deputy editor. So Periscope offers more rooms for News media to explain complex and insightful issues while keeping the informality to engage with a wider audience.
So, while the legal issues remain ambiguous, there are enough rooms for businesses to explore the potentials of Periscope.
What do you think?
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