There is a new breed of social media broadcasters emerging. They talk to their smartphones, filming themselves constantly as they go about their daily routines and explore new places. Every experience is streamed live to an online audience from all over the world and feedback is in real-time. It’s the “scoping” phenomenon that which has caught on like wildfire.
Twitter acquired Periscope, the stand-alone live-streaming video-sharing app, for US$86.6 million (Dh318m) in March, a deal that blew competitor Meerkat out of the water.
Keyvon Beykpour, the co-founder of Periscope, calls his creation a “teleportation product”.
If numbers are to be believed, users have bought into the idea, although the video lag and picture freezing because of a spotty network connection can be irksome sometimes. Within 10 days of its launch, Periscope hit one million users. At last count, in August, the company reported 10 million users and about 40 years of video footage created every day.
While there are no specific figures for the UAE, anecdotal evidence suggests that this is one of the fastest-growing markets for the app in the Middle East. The hullabaloo over the week-long disruption of Periscope in the country last month is testament to its popularity. According to social-media analytics company Sysomos, in August, Periscope was mentioned more than 19,080 times on Twitter in the UAE, about 8,804 times in Dubai alone.
Experts predict live-streaming will be the biggest trend in social media and content creation next year, with Periscope leading the way. Beykpour says they are constantly looking to make user-friendly changes, including a landscape option tfor filming and the ability to save scopes. According to reports, Periscope is developing an app for the new Apple TV, which will allow users to watch live streams on TV.
“The key to the popularity of Periscope is that instant, live, one-on-one connection that a content creator or publisher is able to make with people from around the world with the click of a single button,” says Farrukh Naeem Qadri, a digital strategist and social media consultant in Abu Dhabi.
“Not very long ago, if you wanted to broadcast anything live to the world outside of a TV station, you would have to drive a million-dollar outdoor-broadcast van with satellite uplink capabilities to the location. Now, you just have to point your hand-held smartphone at the subject and go live on Periscope.”
He says the charm of the app lies in the power of continuous interactivity during the feed.
“From the point-of-view of an audience, it has never been easier to see, view, listen and interact with fascinating people, authors, experts and celebrities in real-time.”
Videos on Periscope include ramblings, celebrity sightings, on-site news reports and structured tours of countries – anything from Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo sharing the view from his balcony when in Venice for a movie premiere with wife Sunrise Coigney, to the National Geographic staff taking you for walks in breathtaking locales. But what are residents in the UAE sharing?
“Periscope use in the UAE is very interesting and quite different from the rest of the world,” says Qadri, who has more than 500 followers on his Periscope account.
“The early users seem to be young Emiratis and they are broadcasting from their cars as they cruise around town, from their favourite hangouts, from the comfort of their homes.”
Some of Qadri’s most-viewed scopes include an event by Islamic scholar Sheikh Hamza Yusuf at Manarat Al Saadiyat, a video from Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque during the Ramadan night prayers and a local dates seller showcasing different varieties in the UAE.
Qadri says while individuals see the value of the platform, brands and companies in the UAE haven’t fully understood the potential for marketing purposes, yet.
“Since the platform is more like reality TV and does not lend itself well to scripted acts, brands and businesses are not too eager to jump on it without preparation,” he says. When the platform was launched, Qadri led a crash course for businesses and is now creating a programme to help brands get up to speed and use the platform for exposure, reach and engagement.
Aida Al Busaidy, a 32-year-old Emirati and avid social-media user, established her presence early on the platform. She is now a regular “scoper” with more than 529 followers.
Busaidy, who works for Dubai’s department of tourism, takes her followers around hotels, restaurants and entertainment destinations in the city.
“I love experiencing things, be it food, places I can shop, places I can take my children,” she says. “I also try to find something new because I would like to build a unique experience for followers.”
“A lot of people don’t know what the city has to offer and this is one way of showing them. I once took them up to the 159th and 152nd floors of Burj Khalifa. Not many people go there and I think I had more than 250 people engaged in that scope.”
Busaidy says the platform triumphs over other social media in the authenticity of content. “The world needs unbiased stories from people who are willing to share real things,” she says.
“It gives people the opportunity to travel from anywhere. I’ve seen Hillary Clinton use it. I’ve even gone to Hawaii and back, all from the comfort of my seat at home.”
Sheikh Rehmatullah, a 22-year-old PR executive from India living in Dubai, started using Periscope in July to broadcast spiritual aspects of Ramadan and now has almost 100 followers.
“People had some very interesting questions about Ramadan and Eid and that gave me a signal that it can be a great medium to talk about different festivals, culture, lifestyles and also banish stereotypes in a highly engaging manner,” he says.
He also uses it to discuss current affairs and issues covered in local newspapers.
Mohsin Khan, 31, from the United Kingdom, finds Periscope helps drive people to his YouTube channel, where he uploads videos about his life in Abu Dhabi, as well as technology and brand reviews, for more than 25,000 followers.
“If I have a product unboxing, I can shoot that on Periscope for a live audience and then save it, edit it and upload it to another platform,” says Khan, who goes by the moniker Emkwan on social media.
“Brands can use it to live stream their events for people who couldn’t attend.”
Avoiding problems
Just as with other social media, Periscope users need to be mindful of cyberlaws when broadcasting. With the service still in its first year, creators of the app say they are also actively working to address the nuisance caused by users and trolls, who post inappropriate content and comments.
“Users need to comply with local and international laws,” says Qadri.
“They need to take care of cultural and religious norms, get permission from people who appear in the broadcast and also from venues that one is scoping from.”
In April, HBO had to send "take down" notices to Periscope after users of the app broadcast Game of Thrones episodes when the season began.
Qadri says copyright and confidentiality issues must also be considered.
Periscope is available from Apple and Android stores. Find out more at www.periscope.tv
aahmed@thenational.ae
The National’s Arts&Life reporter Afshan Ahmed will be interviewing Benjamin Ampen (@bampen), head of sales for Twitter Mena region UAE using the popular live-streaming app. The interview will be broadcast from 11am on Sunday, September 13, on Ahmed’s Periscope account, @afsh_ahmed. Check out Arts&Life this week for the printed interview.