This new video chat app is the next big thing with teenagers

Forget Facebook Live!

Houseparty is a new group video chat app that is completely revolutionising live streaming.

With over one million active users, the app has become the latest teen app phenomenon, providing a new kind of synchronous social networking.

Welcome to our party.https://t.co/6tqXz9iaob pic.twitter.com/l9aUn5C7KK

— Houseparty (@houseparty) September 28, 2016

Houseparty is giving a new dimension to social networking where users no longer have to post feeds and wait for 'Likes'. It provides a platform where a single person is not the center of attention. The app creates a group experience by dividing the screen up to eight times.



Speaking to Tech Crunch, Houseparty’s founder Ben Rubin describes the app as the internet’s living room.

What differentiate Houseparty from other group video apps like Google’s Hangouts, he says, is that users no longer have to request or invite others to join a conversation and can instantly enter a group as soon as they get online.

The app has in essence become what sociologist call a virtual ‘third place’ by providing a space for users to relax, socialise, share ideas, or even goofing off.

Houseparty is gaining traction among teens and young adults who have the time and desire to congregate with friends but lack the means to do so. As of now, over 60% of its users are under the age of 24.

PHOTO: HOUSEPARTY



Facebook’s high numbers and connections give it the ability to reel in celebrity steamers and offer premium content. Hence, Rubin cut costs and headcount in an effort to make Houseparty an app for normal people on camera, focusing on a frequently used input experience. As a result the app provides synchronous live experience - something Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat cannot copy.

Users can download the beta version of the app on iOS and Android.