Beme App Does Away with Vanity in Video-Sharing
Nobody can argue against the mega-popularity of Snapchat. With over 9,000 snaps shared per second, the widely-used app has become a major player in the realm of social media, competing with the likes of Instagram and Twitter for daily sharing. Each app - Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter - encourage editing photos whether with filters or tools meant to change the overall look of a picture. In the social media age, we've come to represent ourselves falsely as uber-edited, high-profile beings who rarely have a hair out of line or walk around without flexing.
In a world obsessed with Instagram models, it's refreshing to find Beme totally unconcerned with such drivel. Beme works similarly to Snapchat, as a video-sharing social app; however, there is no way to filter, preview, or otherwise edit videos before sending or even seeing them yourself. Most importantly, you aren't meant to be the focus of the video, rather you are meant to share a raw experience.
Instead of encouraging self-conceited videos, Beme prevents users from viewing their recording until they've posted. Recordings only engage when the front-facing camera is completely covered. After 4 seconds, the app begins recording, stopping at 8 seconds. Videos were deleted once viewed, as per Snapchat's model.
Beme was launched in July, still in beta, and had a staggeringly successful start with half a million people downloading it within a few days. Thanks to solid marketing in the form of coverage from YouTube sensation and founder of the company, Casey Neistat, the app hyped up the public before quickly tapering off in downloads and activity. The app was underdeveloped and buggy with a vision that, while clear to Neistat, didn't translate. On Monday, Beme came out with an update pushing the app out of beta and totally revamping the interface, not to mention releasing the app on Android. Initially, it was only available to iOS users.
Thanks to the shortcomings highlighted in beta, Neistat, along with co-founder and chief technology officer Matt Hackett, have figured out just how to make Beme work. An intuitive, Instagram-like home page automatically plays videos until you swipe to the next or the video ends. There are even handy categories of videos (Denmark, Farm Life, Vloggers are up today). Users can send their reactions through the front-facing camera, giving posters immediate, genuine feedback ... how gratifying. Reactions can be a quick selfie or a video, though, in staying true to their vision, the screen will go black during the recording. Videos, instead of being deleted after viewing, are now tied to user profiles and are available to watch an unlimited amount of times.
Over 54% of Snapchat users access the app daily, flooding channels with ridiculously filtered images complete with big eyes and rainbow vomit. With Beme in direct competition with the service, Neistat says of it, "On Snapchat, I see so many fun faces, filters, and drawings in my feed, and all of these are creative expressions. However, Beme is less about an expression that represents you creatively and more about sharing what is in front of you as a raw piece of video."
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| DansTube.TV |
Instead of encouraging self-conceited videos, Beme prevents users from viewing their recording until they've posted. Recordings only engage when the front-facing camera is completely covered. After 4 seconds, the app begins recording, stopping at 8 seconds. Videos were deleted once viewed, as per Snapchat's model.
Beme was launched in July, still in beta, and had a staggeringly successful start with half a million people downloading it within a few days. Thanks to solid marketing in the form of coverage from YouTube sensation and founder of the company, Casey Neistat, the app hyped up the public before quickly tapering off in downloads and activity. The app was underdeveloped and buggy with a vision that, while clear to Neistat, didn't translate. On Monday, Beme came out with an update pushing the app out of beta and totally revamping the interface, not to mention releasing the app on Android. Initially, it was only available to iOS users.
Thanks to the shortcomings highlighted in beta, Neistat, along with co-founder and chief technology officer Matt Hackett, have figured out just how to make Beme work. An intuitive, Instagram-like home page automatically plays videos until you swipe to the next or the video ends. There are even handy categories of videos (Denmark, Farm Life, Vloggers are up today). Users can send their reactions through the front-facing camera, giving posters immediate, genuine feedback ... how gratifying. Reactions can be a quick selfie or a video, though, in staying true to their vision, the screen will go black during the recording. Videos, instead of being deleted after viewing, are now tied to user profiles and are available to watch an unlimited amount of times.
Over 54% of Snapchat users access the app daily, flooding channels with ridiculously filtered images complete with big eyes and rainbow vomit. With Beme in direct competition with the service, Neistat says of it, "On Snapchat, I see so many fun faces, filters, and drawings in my feed, and all of these are creative expressions. However, Beme is less about an expression that represents you creatively and more about sharing what is in front of you as a raw piece of video."
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| Fstoppers |
Jacqui Litvan
Jacqui
Litvan, wielding a bachelor's degree in English, strives to create a world of
fantasy amidst the ever-changing landscape of military life. Attempting to
become a writer, she fuels herself with coffee (working as a barista) and music
(spending free time as a raver).
Beme App Does Away with Vanity in Video-Sharing
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Friday, May 06, 2016
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Friday, May 06, 2016
Rating:
Unknown
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