Meatspace Chat

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Meatspace Chat
Developer(s)Jen Fong-Adwent
Initial releaseMay 12, 2013
Written inNode.js, HTML5
Operating systemWindows, macOS, Android, iOS
TypeInstant messaging client

Meatspace Chat is a web-based online chat system created by Edna Piranha where users submit 250 character messages, combined with instantly created animated GIFs of themselves taken by a webcam.[1]

Overview

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Meatspace differentiates itself from other chat systems by eschewing usernames, user registration and chat channels, and instead embracing ephemerality by limiting the exposure of a single message to a limited number of minutes, after which it does not appear again. Ephemeral content is an increasingly important form of Internet communication[2] because it allows people to communicate spontaneously, without concern for whether that communication will be recorded. This is the idea of the "Forever Internet" versus the "Erasible Internet".[3] The Erasible Internet allows for all the interactivity, but also allows users to control and erase their content.

Technology

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Meatspace uses HTML5 technologies such as WebRTC for its capture of user videos and an animated GIF library by Sole Penadés[4] for its client, and Node.js for its server.

Meatspace is open-source,[5] available in a number of versions that use different database backends. There are also a number of third-party interfaces to Meatspace for providing mobile versions for Android[6] and iOS,[7] as well as bot that responds to commands.[8]

People can host their own meatspace chat server, or use one of a number of public servers. There is a public server at chat.meatspac.es, which is used by Web Developers such as Paul Irish and Tom Dale.[9] Writer and Internet technology professor Clay Shirky has stated that Meatspace Chat "feels like Old Internet, Weird in a good way, good in a weird way".[10]

References

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  1. ^ Williams, Alex (January 2014). "Meatspace, A World Of Animated Gifs, Human Robots And The Ephemerality Of Snapchat-Like Apps".
  2. ^ "Why Snapchat will grow - Technology, Society, Change". 2 February 2013. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  3. ^ Manjoo, Farhad (22 December 2013). "Do We Want an Erasable Internet?". Wall Street Journal.
  4. ^ "The Side Projects of Mozillians: JSFiddle and Meatspac.es | Beta Sites Galore". Archived from the original on 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  5. ^ "meatspaces". GitHub.
  6. ^ "Meatspace Beta - Android Apps on Google Play". play.google.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-21.
  7. ^ "MeatChat on the App Store". iTunes. Archived from the original on May 21, 2014.
  8. ^ "meatspaces/meatspace-chat-hackers". GitHub. 7 June 2016.
  9. ^ "TopDrop Of The Month: Meatspace". Archived from the original on 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
  10. ^ "Clay Shirky on Twitter".