I’m watching a building burn down with firefighters rushing to save people inside- as it’s happening.
The Periscope app launched by Twitter this morning is already showing its stripes. People have often turned to Twitter (and the Internet) for news in the past – this is nothing new – but Periscope has already shown in its few hours of availability how it could reshape breaking news on the Internet.
I was on Twitter, catching up on the day’s tech news, about to sign off for the afternoon. Then I saw a tweet with a picture of smoke billowing out of a building.
Seconds after a building exploded in New York City, a user had a Periscope stream up with the emergency response. I was captivated. Several other users followed, with a live look at the breaking news event within seconds. I’m watching this event from my college dorm room as if I were on the streets smelling the smoke, from multiple angles.
https://twitter.com/passantino/status/581177916953735168
https://twitter.com/jaredt/status/581177290400333824
With Periscope, users are given a multiple angle perspective to a breaking news event, watching it unfold before a camera crew can even get to the scene. It’s breaking news for the instant, Internet age. Is the reporting as good as a news reporters? Probably not, but I’m seeing the event in seconds, not an hour later, as news crews scramble to produce a story.
Is this Periscope’s break out moment?
You can tune to Periscope streams or the New York Times for more details on the explosion. Pick your choice.
You can download Periscope from the iTunes App Store.
Source: App Store via Periscope