YouTuber Philip DeFranco has not had problems expressing his problems with the platform that often changes. "I'm tired of trying to work with the alcoholic and negligent stepfather who is YouTube," he said in a video released in April. Now, he launched a new application that allows video-to-video communications between community members and DeFranco itself. DeFranco Now, available for iOS and desktop, will allow users to tune into DeFranco's content, answer questions and answers, ask their own questions, talk about news on their own channels and more.
The application runs on the Snakt video platform, where DeFranco serves as advisor. In a short segment on DeFranco Now, YouTuber says the impetus behind the application is related to one of the most missed features of the old YouTube school: its video responses. "But I also knew that even if we could get video responses today, I would like them to be better," he says.
The goal of DeFranco Now is to allow a better exchange between users. "I did not want to upload monologues to the Internet," he says. "I really wanted to start a dialogue, of course, you can leave comments, but the comments are just text, and the video-to-video interaction, it's deeper, it's better." When you can look in the eyes of the person you're having a swing, it just matters more. "
DeFranco has spoken publicly about moving future projects off of YouTube, especially when the platform becomes more volatile for creators. As YouTube continues to adjust its rules around monetization, more creators find it difficult to get a sustainable revenue from their content. In his already mentioned video "Tested, frustrated, but also excited", DeFranco said that his program "may not survive" on YouTube due to demonetization and penalties for algorithms. "Honestly, now, based on the way YouTube has established itself, I do not think I can thrive on this platform anymore."
DeFranco Now is currently available for iOS, although an Android version is in process. DeFranco says the application is based on a hypercentric community, rather than acting as an engaging social platform like Twitter. Although he says there are plans and ideas for additional functions, how the application evolves will depend on how people use it.
