YouTube has been at the forefront of social media development for a long time now. The platform’s products have become so pervasive that YouTube has now become the preferred means for sharing and viewing videos online. YouTube and its many personalities have also contributed massively to the unique online culture that has been established, and the company is continuing to propel the online world forwards with the launch of their new product, Uptime.
Uptime strives to make viewing video content more social. When you are watching a video and a friend signs in to watch the same video, their icon floats across the screen. You can comment on the video in real time to start a conversation about the video. There are also emoji reactions that you can select instead of leaving a comment in the thread, to quickly react if something is funny, foolish, or exciting.
One practical application of Uptime could be this: for example, say that you are traveling, but want to watch cat videos with your significant other. You could simply sign into the app, watch cat videos together in real time, and message within the app without interrupting the video. Great example, we know. Everyone loves cat videos.
This allows for a unique, seamless viewing experience that breaks down barriers between viewers. It is a powerful idea because it combines the ability to engage socially, which is one of the reasons live streaming services like Facebook Live and Twitch have become so popular, especially with Youtube’s vast content library under its belt.
As technology has advanced, consuming media and viewing videos on one’s personal devices has slowly shifted towards becoming less of an independent experience to more of a communal one. As this new platform continues to improve and gain users, it is very likely it will continue bring us closer together, and continue to change the face of the online world as we know it.
