Telegrams Go Viral with Crazy New App - The UpStream

Telegrams Go Viral with Crazy New App

posted Sunday Aug 31, 2014 by Scott Ertz

Telegrams Go Viral with Crazy New App

So, this one is pretty weird. Miranda July believes that technology is far too impersonal, and wants to change it to the far extreme: making technology the conduit for personal communications, with a twist. Instead of calling your friend on the phone and having a fairly human-to-human interaction, July has developed a application that allows you to send a text message to a stranger, who will then find your friend and deliver the message verbally. July describes it,

The antithesis of the utilitarian efficiency that tech promises, here, finally, is an app that makes us nervous, giddy, and alert to the people around us.

Now, to be fair, if a stranger walked up to me in public and relayed a message as if they know me, nervous would not quite describe my reaction. On the other hand, I could pretend I am a secret agent receiving an assignment, so there is an aspect of not terrifying involved, I suppose.

Luckily, in reality, you get a warning that you will be approached by a stranger. Here's how the app works: you pick your friend from your contact list and ask them if they are available, then you choose your messenger from a list of participants around your contact. You can see photos, reviews and success rates for the deliverer, helping you decide whom to use. You then send the message, a photo and instructions to your agent so they can find the person to whom they will deliver the message.

Clearly, this little project only works if there are people around using the app. Since the app is only available on iOS, your selection of delivery agents will be very limited. To try and overcome this limitation, there is a concept of a hotspot, which is essentially a place for people to go to deliver and receive these incredibly off messages. While several liberal arts colleges have set up hotspots, anyone can register one, at concerts, conventions, etc.

You have probably already figured out that this is less of a messaging platform and more of a distributed performance art platform. July said,

Unpredictable, undocumented, fleeting interactions with strangers can bring great joy and inspiration! Pretending to be someone else is liberating. The feeling is a little like Truth or Dare and Charades.

I don't know if this is enough of a reason to create an awkward, uncomfortable stranger meetup, but if this seems like your thing, you can get the app from the source link.

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