How many social platforms do we really need?

Social media wars, Threads, and a new YouTube channel

The early days of live video

It was almost exactly eight years ago when I started live streaming on an app called Periscope. It wasn’t exactly by choice because the thought of broadcasting myself on video was and still is terrifying, but I did it because it sort of became part of my job at the time. Our tiny five person startup had no intention of going into the live mobile video space since we were working on another product, but we found ourselves thrown into it literally overnight after a two-day hackathon experiment went viral on Twitter.

Pre-pandemic, you couldn’t drag me to FaceTime or even video conferencing calls unless it was required at work, so video was a huge step outside my comfort zone. I suppose using Zoom nearly everyday for the past three years normalized seeing my face on a screen, but back in 2015? It was super cringe for someone like me who hated seeing themselves in photos, no less. So I never thought I would start a YouTube channel, but apparently 2023 is the year for trying new things!¹