bigo.tv

In the past decade, apps and platforms have taken over our lives. Many of us can't claim to be absent from social media.

Success defined in numbers

The billion-user mark is certainly touched by platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp with Instagram quickly edging ever closer. However, the rise of apps from East Asia is more evident with the Bigo Live app allegedly having nearly 300 million users. If these numbers seem unbelievable, you can verify them through their 35 million reviews on Google Play Store alone. The Bigo Live platform is available in over 150+ countries and drives the majority of its traffic from the Asian market.

From chatroom to a social phenomenon

Bigo Live offers unique features that let people broadcast live and share their personal experiences with the world. These features allow the app to become a part of our daily lives, which makes it an attractive option for users.

What is Bigo Live?

Bigo Live is a live social and video streaming application that was developed in 2016 by a Singapore based internet company. It 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 gives you the ability to live stream with just a tap. You can create and post your videos within minutes, either registering yourself on the app or signing in using Facebook or Google ID. Through Bigo Live, you can access new, popular content nearby, watch a live stream or join a chat. You can even share a stream on social media. If you are a fan of the work of a particular streamer, you can send them gifts in the form of beans. Beans that resemble "Gold on Reddit" indicate the popularity. You can even trade those beans for real cash. Furthermore, this app is not just about streaming; it also features 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 good reasons to use the Bigo Live app. I'll share a few of my favorite reasons below.

Ability to Broadcast Yourself

The primary reason why I love this app is that it allows me to broadcast my live content. 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 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 even interact with these broadcasters, join live events, earn rewards and send virtual gifts.

Free Voice & Video Chat

Anyone can use the video chat feature to communicate with friends or strangers. 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 a stranger, you can choose different chat rooms and filter based on topics and location.

Use Gaming Center

If you don't love 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 are looking for a great way to improve your soft skills, then Bigo Live is a great app to use. There are many creators who offer live streaming classes, so you can learn English, Mandarin, Hindi or any other language with ease.

Seek Astrology Consultation & Relationship Advice

There are professional astrologers on Bigo Live. You can ask them any questions about yourEducation, Finance, Career, Marriage, Health or your relationships. I'm not a huge fan of this feature because 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 positive aspects of this app, I would like to point out that it is not being used as productively as one might hope. Though you can make full use of all the features and bring positive energy, sadly, that's not how most users see this app. They use it to promote violent and sexually explicit content. Especially, with the AI age verification 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 an extremely clean design with dynamic streaming options. It’s easy to navigate thanks to its user-friendly interface. Visually, it’s 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 grey/white color combination looks attractive to teenagers and young adults. The homepage of the app has a search bar on the left followed by three menus - Popular, Explore, and Game. On the right, you can find the notification icon.

The main content is small and the user thumbnails are not so good. There are five options below the tiles - Live, Location, Broadcast, Videos, and User Account. This is standard in most communication apps.

Content

And if that?s not enough, you can also chat with other viewers in real time. There's a wealth of content on this app. You'll find entertaining videos from over one 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 such as stars, candies, lollipops, and hearts. And if that's not enough, you can also chat with other viewers in real time.

Usability

However, some of the content on the app is highly objectionable and should not be allowed. Many users find Bigo Live objectionable for its questionable content. Though it is a great app overall, some of its content crosses a line and is not acceptable. It is available on all major platforms, including Android, iOS, and Windows, making it easy to use regardless of experience. Vlogging with Bigo Live is simple and straightforward - even if you're not experienced in video production. In terms of functionaility, Bigo Live is as good as any top app on the Play Store or App Store. However there are some sections of the app that should not be allowed because they are sexually explicit or violent.

Suggestions I have for Bigo Live

I have some concerns with the age verification system in this app. Requiring users to reveal their age, location, and gender is not safe for young teens. There is a lot of content circulating on the network that is not appropriate for young people, and some users are crossing the line by collecting beans which converts into real-world cash. My suggestion to developers would be to make this app more safe for users, especially because it's free.

Conclusion

Overall, the app is not used for the right reasons in developing countries. Bigo Live is already one of the biggest social media platforms, and it is worth a try. Though you won't find dates or get interested in the platform, you can use it as a way to kill some time. That's all.