Periscope users are obsessed with getting a good #fridgeview

When a new online video service starts, people’s first instinct often seems to be to go dirty. It happened with Chatroulette, it happened with Vine… It’s probably happening with new Twitter-based video streaming app Periscope, too. But the trend that’s really taken hold in its first week is looking in other people’s fridges. (I guess there are worse icebreakers…)

Mashable’s done the (unofficial) maths and says that this seems to be the most popular form of content so far. Rather than asking people to show them their towns or [things we’d never publish on the site], users are apparently demanding to look in other people’s fridges at their tubs of hummous, packets of slowly moulding vegetables and messily-stacked leftovers. (Um, or whatever.)

The app, which Twitter released for iOS last week after buying the start-up in January, followed on the heels of rival app Meerkat, which was quickly stopped from using Twitter’s API.

Meerkat users seem to be a lot less interested in looking inside people’s appliances.
But on Periscope, one #fridgeview (#showusyourfridge is another popular hashtag)  lasted for two hours. That’s a lot of fridge. And I feel like you’d have to be REALLY interested in other people’s diets/appliances/lives to stay tuned the whole time.

Still, several people have claimed they started the trend, which either proves the existence of a universal consciousness… or that people will be competitive about anything.

Image via Michelle Tribe’s Flickr.

Diane Shipley