There are other ways to make streaming money. Earlier this year, Vice wrote about how sugar daddies in Indonesia were spending a big slice of their incomes on sending virtual gifts to women starring in such X-rated streams. Across the screen ‘call me’ and ‘sexy’ mushrooms over the comments section along with bubbling heart emojis. A quick glance through various streams reveals teenaged girls lying on the bed in provocative positions reading out onscreen messages and answering questions about their personal life with eager fans. To gain more followers and subsequently more cash, a lot of broadcasts get a little raunchy. Users range from college students to 20-something millennials who sing, bake cakes, stream video game sessions and jabber about mundane stuff. Other apps simply pay you based on the number of followers. The more people you follow, the more followers you earn, who in turn gift you virtual stuff like a picture of a sports car, which can be exchanged for money. Unlike YouTube, every user is both a broadcaster and follower. The app claims to have over 20 million registered users in India. A makeup artist cum love guru, she broadcasts on a range of topics from health to relationships to paranormal activity. Dimple, for instance, earns a six-figure salary from live streaming alone. It’s just one of many live-streaming platforms that allow users to showcase their skills and make a quick buck from their fan base. Dimple is a star on Bigo Live, a Singapore-based app, which is a cross between Snapchat (a messaging app that allows you to post short videos which disappear after 24 hours) and Periscope (Twitter’s live streaming video app where videos can be saved) for its live-streaming and multimedia messaging features. As she talks, Dimple’s screen is flooded with instant messages from followers, who ply her with virtual gifts like roses and tiaras. Immediately, the owners of these smartphones swipe right to enter a live chat where a Chennai-based broadcaster is showing off her makeup skills in a lace black off-the-shoulder dress. Every evening, thousands of smartphones beep with this notification - “Dimple D’Souza is broadcasting on Bigo Live”. If a straitlaced anchor reading headlines off a teleprompter comes to mind when you hear the word “broadcaster”, you’re woefully out of touch.
0 kommentar(er)
