On asynchronous social media (as in many other regions of the World Wide Web), it is possible to create fake accounts or other selves (Bronstein, 2014). Here, the adage “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” (Steiner, 1993) is a truism. It is true for the reception side of synchronous SNSs, but definitely not for the production side. The performer may use a nickname, but you see him or her in full attire. If the performer on YouNow is a dog, everyone will realize this fact.
As a first step into the new research area of general live streaming services, this study is limited to descriptive statistics of basic empirical data on YouNow. Necessary next steps include the elaboration of a theory of information behavior on social live broadcasting services and the integration of our empirical as well as (future) theoretical results into known approaches in social media research. As research on SLSSs shows, it is important for information science to broaden its sometimes limited view only on information seeking behavior towards an entire view on users’ information-related activities, including all aspects of information production and information reception behavior.
Synchronous SNSs remind us of The Truman Show, which is an American film from 1998 presenting the life of its protagonist, Truman Burbank (played by Jim Carrey), in a constructed television reality show, which is live broadcasted to its audience. Truman’s life is monitored 24/7 from his birth until his escape from the studio, when he was 30 years old. However, there is a great difference: In contrast to Truman, broadcasters on YouNow are well aware of their actions. Applying YouNow, users can stream wherever they want to without any time limit – and produce their own Truman Show.