Houseparty likely to crash

Houseparty+likely+to+crash

Alex Kramer, Sports Editor

It kills data and drains battery, but hey it’s a new social app. Houseparty is currently sweeping the nation as the next big video chatting app. Though it may have recently been crowned the king of the video-chatting industry, it’s reign is not likely to last.

Houseparty is an app similar to Skype or Oovoo: a video media where up to eight people can Facetime on one screen. Here’s the catch: anyone that is friends with someone can join their “house” as long as it is on screen and being used. It emphasizes, as the name suggests, the come-and-go feel of an actual houseparty. If a group wants their party to be invite only, it is always possible to lock a house so no “strangers” (friends of friends) can randomly join.

Houseparty was launched in late September and has recently caught fire, however the group chatting premise is not a brand-new concept. Skype and Oovoo, which are similar apps, have died in popularity. There’s a chance that Houseparty will meet the same fate. Teens are the targeted audience of Houseparty. The problem with teens is that they are always looking for new ways to communicate with their friends. If Houseparty takes after its predecessors and doesn’t evolve with its audience’s nearly unquenchable thirst for new content, then it will surely fail.

Despite its popularity now, it is likely that when another app with a new flavor comes along, Houseparty will be doomed.