Beme Wants to Kill Selfies and Self-Consciousness in Social Sharing

YouTube personality Casey Neistat wants to change the way people share their lives on social media. Selfies and self-consciousness get in the way of authentic sharing, he says, so he created a new app called Beme.

In some ways its similar to ephemeral social apps like Snapchat. Videos shared through Beme can only be viewed once and are then deleted forever. The interface is also stupidly simple and easy to use repeatedly throughout your days.

But what separates Beme from its competitors is how moments are captured. Instead of having to stare at your phone to frame shots, or pointing your phone at your own face to snap a selfie, Beme’s camera is triggered by the phone’s proximity sensor: you’re supposed to snap a photo by placing your phone against your chest.

This way, you can’t see what’s being captured, freeing your eyes and mind to enjoy the world around you while your experience is being beamed to your friends. There’s no previewing or reviewing of shots, and no picking out the best clip from a number of them. What you shoot is what your friends get.

Here’s a short 4-minute video in which Neistat introduces Beme and shows how it works:

If you’re interested in joining this new service, you can download Beme for yourself for free through the iTunes App Store.

(via Beme via Laughing Squid)