Table Of Content
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bigo.tv
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Success defined in numbers
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From chatroom to a social phenomenon
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What is Bigo Live?
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How does Bigo Live work?
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Why should you use Bigo Live app?
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Ability to Broadcast Yourself
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Watch Live Streams
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Free Voice & Video Chat
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Use Gaming Center
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Watch Educational Streams
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Seek Astrology Consultation & Relationship Advice
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Why you shouldn?t download the Bigo Live app?
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Design
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Content
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Usability
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Suggestions I have for Bigo Live
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Conclusion
bigo.tv
Apps and platforms have taken over our lives in this past decade, so much so that very few among us can claim that they're not present on social media.
Success defined in numbers
The billion number is evident in platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp. Instagram is edging closer to becoming a dominant platform with apps from the Asian subcontinent making a lot of noise. One app which is supposedly making a lot of noise is the Bigo Live app with nearly 300 million users. If the numbers seem unbelievable, you can actually verify it through their 35 million reviews on PlayStore alone.
Bigo Live is available in over 150+ countries and drives the majority of its traffic from the Asian market. Some of the countries that Bigo Live is popular in include Singapore, India, Bangladesh, and South Korea.
From chatroom to a social phenomenon
Bigo Live is different from other platforms in that it didn't start with the basics. It came into the market by offering features to help people broadcast live and share their personal experiences with the world. These features allow the app to become a part of our daily lives, and they offer great flexibility to the audience who wants to share their day-to-day experiences in a creative way.
What is Bigo Live?
Bigo Live is an app that has a live social and streaming feature. Developed in 2016 by a Singapore-based internet company, Bigo app offers an inexpensive social live video broadcasting with VOIP - Voice over Internet Protocol support. In just three years? time, the app has become a household name in Singapore and in most of the Asian countries. The ability to share your life and not just talent has led Bigo to its stardom.
How does Bigo Live work?
Bigo Live makes it easy to live stream with a single tap. You can create and post your videos in minutes- and you don't even have to register! You can access popular content nearby or worldwide, watch a live stream or join a chat. You can even share your streams on social media.
If you love a particular streamer?s work, you can send them beans in the form of "Gold on Reddit" which indicate their popularity. You can also trade those beans for real cash. Furthermore, this app is not just about streaming but also levels and ranks, thus allowing users to gain XP by staying active on the platform.
Why should you use Bigo Live app?
There are many reasons why you may get hooked to the Bigo Live app. Here are some of my favorite reasons for using it:
Ability to Broadcast Yourself
The primary reason I love this app is that it allows me to go live and watch live streams. Whether I'm talking, playing games, singing or dancing, I can share my experience with the world within a single click. After the facial recognition is complete, you can even apply the beauty effect when video chatting. The best part is that you don't need to have the talent to get more followers, just a decent story is good enough to get you started.
Watch Live Streams
I enjoy watching other people's content and seeing what they're up to in their lives. Bigo Live provides access to millions of individuals, including talented singers, dancers, comedians and teachers who use the platform for the greater good. Additionally, there are streamers playing "PUBG," "Fortnite," "Dota 2," "ROV" and "LOL," which is addictive to watch. You can interact with these broadcasters, join live events, earn rewards and send virtual gifts.
Free Voice & Video Chat
Anyone can video chat for free with anyone. You can create a group video chat and talk to up to nine people in a multi-guest room. If you want to talk to someone who's not in your chat room, you can choose different chat rooms and filter based on topics and the location.
Use Gaming Center
If you don't enjoy live streaming, you can take a break and enjoy different games on the game center. There are many games which you can play with your friends and families, these include Sheep Battle, Snakes & Ladders and Ludo.
Watch Educational Streams
If you're looking to improve your soft skills, Bigo Live is a great app. There are many creators who offer live classes, so you can learn English, Mandarin, Hindi, or any other language in a fun and productive way.
Seek Astrology Consultation & Relationship Advice
There are professional astrologers on Bigo Live. You can ask them any questions about your Education, Finance, Career, Marriage, Health, or your relationships. I'm not a huge fan of this feature since I'm not too much into astrology, but yes if you are then you'll have a great time on this app.
Why you shouldn?t download the Bigo Live app?
After sharing all the positives of this app, I would like to point out one potential downside- that it is not as effectively being used as one might like. Though you can make use of all the above features and bring happiness, sadly, that's not how most users see this app. They use it to promote violent and sexually explicit content. Especially with the new AI age verification feature which can be fooled easily, most of the users on this app might not even be 17. This app clearly attracts the younger audience and it goes without saying that most of its audience involves scantily clad teenagers. If you don't believe me, just do a random search on google and the results you find will be disturbing. The worst part is most of these apps even use such content to promote their app on YouTube and in-app videos, which is quite disturbing.
Design
The Bigo Live app has a sleek design with dynamic streaming options. It is easy to navigate thanks to its user-friendly interface. Visually, it is as good as any other platform in the market. Its interface is super clean and streams are of decent quality. Normal and video chats are up to the mark and there are no discrepancies upon connection.
The turquoise and white color combination looks attractive to teenagers and young adults, who will find the homepage with a search bar on the left easy to use. There are three menus- Popular, Explore, and Game- on the right side of the screen. The notification icon is also easy to find.
The main content area in the app has small mosaic tiles with user thumbnail images that are not so great. Under the tiles, you can find five options - Live, Location, Broadcast, Videos, and User Account. This is standard in major communication apps.
Content
And, of course, you can join the chatrooms and talk to friends.
There's a lot of content on this app. You'll find entertaining videos from over a million users across the world. You can watch tons of content including book and movie reviews, dance performances, make-up tutorials, and mukbangs (people eating and chatting). You can follow your favorite streamers and receive updates whenever they're online. You can send virtual gifts like stars, candies, lollipops, and hearts. And you can join the chatrooms and talk to friends.
Usability
The app itself is user-friendly, but the content on it is objectionable. Bigo Live is available across all platforms on Android, iOS, and Windows. It works perfectly on any mid-range device. It's easy to vlog yourself even if you're not a seasoned vlogger. In terms of functionality, Bigo Live is as good as any top app on PlayStore or App Store.
Suggestions I have for Bigo Live
I don't have any problem with the app, except for their age verification system. Requiring users to reveal their age, location and gender is not safe for young teens. The content circulating on the network is not the best and users are crossing the line to collect beans which converts into real-world cash. My suggestion to developers would be to make this app safer because though it's a free app, it can cost young teens a lot more than just money.
Conclusion
Overall, it's a great app mostly being used for the wrong reasons especially in developing countries. Bigo Live is already one of the biggest social media platforms out there, and it is worth a try. Though you won't find a date or get intrigued by the platform, you can use it as a way to kill some time. That's all.
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