Now that politics has become a spectator sport is hardly a surprise after the advent of CSPAN, Facebook and Twitter. And now a new mobile app is set to make that reality all the more true.
The app is called Meerkat and promises the potential to keep users connected to all things political in realtime. In yet another innovation of social media, the app threatens to further delegitimate legacy forms of old media as their content will increasingly be seen as old news.
Only available for two weeks, the app was already used by reporters to stream Jeb Bush’s appearance in Dover, New Hampshire this past weekend. Live feeds of Bush’s comments on verious issues were broadcast to followers all over the globe. This easy access to live footage could change the way we access political news, speculates RealClearPolitic’s Caitlin Huey-Burns:
“This new layer of access presents potential pitfalls, too. Bush’s appearance Friday night was open to reporters, many of whom streamed the event using Meerkat. But for intimate political gatherings that exclude the press, it’s easier than ever for a bartender or caterer or any attendee to discreetly stream a candidate’s remarks to the public. (Imagine if the person who recorded Mitt Romney’s now infamous “47 percent” remark had Meerkat or a similar type of app on his smartphone.)”
Meerkat Community Manager Ryan Cooley explained the goal is “to give everybody the ability to have something in their pocket that allows someone else to participate in an experience. No longer do you need to be in a place to have the experience. There are no physical limitations.”
