Snapchat and Periscope: A Grown-Up’s Guide

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[Commentary] We’re here to discuss the latest development in social media: broadcasting your life. Whoa, hold on, isn’t this already happening, you ask? Don’t the huevos rancheros that I posted to Instagram count as self-broadcasting? Or what about this selfie of my daughter and me on Facebook? None of that has changed. Except now, with apps like Periscope and Meerkat, both of which launched in March, you can do much the same thing with live video from your smartphone. It’s like video chatting on Skype, except that you’re broadcasting one-way to anyone who feels like tuning in. And those viewers can write questions and comments that appear on the screen in real time. If Twitter gave everyone a megaphone, these apps give you a camera crew.

We’re also seeing a similar idea with Snapchat. Yes, that Snapchat -- the app once notorious for sexting because it lets users send self-destructing photos and videos. A feature called Stories assembles the snippets that you’ve taken over the past 24-hours to create a montage of your day. It can be an artful undertaking. Which means that even you, human over the age of 25, can join Snapchat now without feeling like a chaperone at a One Direction concert.


Snapchat and Periscope: A Grown-Up’s Guide