Forget typing, go live- stream

Still from The Big Bang Theory. Picture is used for illustrative purpose only.

Ever felt too restricted by the 140character limit on Twitter? Or at a loss for enough words that could make your Facebook status clear enough? Or found Instagram too slow in posting one image at a time when you’re trying to illustrate a process through a whole series that you were too lazy to collage? Independent smartphone apps like Meerkat and Camio came up with a solution to all these problems and more last month, letting users live- stream videos of themselves — doing anything from exploring a new city to walking their dogs. With Twitter now joining in with Periscope, their own official livestreaming app, the trend of services enabling users to live- stream in audio- visual format what they would otherwise be typing or clicking about, is taking social media the world over by storm.

“This is by far the coolest addition to my smartphone,” says Delhi- based event management professional Abhinav Raut. He goes on, “I have friends and family in the US who’ve been Meerkating — yes, that is a recognisable verb now by the way — really fun videos of themselves every time they go out someplace interesting. And the best part of Periscope now is that they can see reactions from the people following them while they stream, in real time! It’s almost like having an actual conversation with many people at once, giving them a direct window into your life without them physically encroaching into your space. If you use such an app intelligently, I think it can be a great addition to social media in general, bringing people even closer and keeping them even more connected with their friends and family than the text or image format does.”

Why type when you can livestream what you’re upto. Smartphone users can now live- stream

videos of themselves to

multiple audience via apps such as

Meerkat, Camio and Periscope