Imagine this: we want to go out for a drink with friends, but please, let’s go somewhere that’s nice. That has an atmosphere, but where you can be comfortable. How can we know before we walk in and walk through the door? I wish there was an app that allowed us to see what a bar is like inside so we could know whether we should go or not, you might think. Like when Google Maps tells us that a place is more or less busy, but with the atmosphere of the inside of bars. That would be a great idea.
Well, it exists in San Francisco.
And it’s not such a good idea.
2Nite. That is the name of this app launched at the beginning of the year, which, as defined on its website, is the “all-in-one app to manage, promote and discover nightlife.” The company has installed a network of cameras in different venues in San Francisco (between five and eight, according to a local newspaper) and allows live access to images from them through an app.
The ideaIt’s not so much about seeing people drinking beers at the bar (there is better programming on streaming platforms), but about venues being able to promote their events. Let’s think, for example, of a pub that has a live DJ session. It can broadcast it through the app to publicize it and, in that way, attract people. This is the case of Club Cali in Berkeley, which does live broadcasts every Friday and Saturday.
Venues decide when the cameras are turned on and off, and as founder Lucas Harris explains, “They’re primarily intended to provide insight into live performances at bars, clubs and other event venues.” According to Harris, 3,000 people have already used the platform, with 300 being repeat users. It’s all free, for now.
Sorry for party rocking. Older users may remember an app called SceneTap. Back in 2012, this app sought to offer something similar, with the added twist that it also allowed you to find out the ratio of men to women and the average age. It ended up being mediocre. Some critics of 2Nite believe that it offers a similar invasion of privacy.
After all, why does a person who is quietly (or not so quietly) having a drink in a bar have to appear live online for everyone in the world to see? The problem is that, on the one hand, it is an invasion of the user’s privacy, but at the same time it can be a promotional platform for bars and clubs. In any case, criticism was not long in coming on the app’s social networks.
Harris’s opinion. As Harris tells The San Francisco Standard, “I still believe that you don’t go to a bar or a club looking for privacy (…) You’re surrounded by strangers.” Anyone who has played Assassin’s Creed knows that the best way to blend in is to blend in with the crowd, but 2Nite has taken preliminary steps, however.
Blurry streams. Faced with this situation, 2Nite has decided to blur the image of the streams to the point that people’s faces cannot be distinguished. The intention is, in addition, to blur only the faces of the audience so that the artists who are playing in the venues can be seen.
There are positive opinionsThe idea of the app is not bad in itself, but its implementation requires certain compromises regarding privacy. However, some venues consulted by the American media assure that the idea is good, since it can publicize the venues and the bands that play there.
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