Transparency can be fun. But the rage of digital voyeurism may be peaking. Case in point: Blippy, the latest incarnation of real-time, social self-exposure. I learned about Blippy on Scoble’s latest Cinch broadcast with founder Philip Kaplan.
While Twitter asks what we’re doing and Gowalla asks where we are, Blippy asks what we bought, how much we paid and which credit card we used.
It works like this: You go to the store and buy some stuff. You pay with your credit card. The world instantly sees where you were and what you paid via your Blippy feed . Everybody comments.
(“Excuse me, I’d like everything on AMEX except the whip and the rubber chicken”)
Transparency has a human flexion point that’s different for everyone. I find Gowalla amusing, for example. Gwenn O’Keefe finds it disturbing. So for some Blippy will provide the opportunity for community and perhaps entertainment. But at the end of the day I suspect it will exceed the comfort zone of most. I wouldn’t expect a tipping point at SXSW.
Luddite skepticism you say? After all, they laughed at Twitter and they laughed at YouTube. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
Speaking of laughing, check out Colbert’s thoughts on Blippy.