On YouTube, hundreds of thousands of viewers around the world stare at the unmoving broadcast of Sistine Chapel Chimney. Occasionally, the seagulls plummet and stop on the roof for a few minutes. But most of the time, nothing happens.
On Wednesday, Cardinals University began the process of choosing their next pope. This is a sacred ritual of closed doors, long before mass media allowed them to send news quickly in so many public interest, and therefore, instead of issuing a statement to the press, Conclave shows progress towards the public through smoke. It is black if you do not agree to the new Pope, and white if a decision is made.
Smoke signals were for the benefit of local onlookers, but now there are dozens of global broadcasters streaming Sistine Chapel’s Exterior Online 24/7 coverage. There is no narration from the TV host. Only noise around the packed city square, and perhaps Segal’s calls are scattered.
In an age where YouTubers strive to optimize every last frame of a video to increase the chances of viral fame, the undanity of “conclave come” is oddly adoring.
It feels like an extension of the Nordic “slow TV” trend, where public networks broadcast commercial free-free footage of boring yet calm scenes. Viewers can train to watch salmon swim upstream for hours or days at a time, travel around the country, or migrate to summer habitats.
Within the YouTube context, the user interface around these “conclave comedians” is familiar. Unmoderated live chats move quickly, like live streams from popular creators. However, unlike Fortnite’s Battle Royale, there is not much to talk about in chat. The chimney may emit black smoke or white smoke. In the vast majority of broadcasts, the most exciting moments happen when the bird flies through the frame.
But because it’s the internet, people end up discussing politics, soccer, Elon Musk. There are troublesome languages thrown there. In some cases, viewers will buy Super Chat (a bold text block more prominent in busy chats) and declare their vision for the future of the Catholic Church.
TechCrunch Events
Berkeley, California
|
June 5th
Book now
The key to watching Conclave’s live stream is not to know when the next Pope will be chosen. That’s the purpose of news push notifications. Instead, the charming thing is quiet. Office workers can pull up a stream of small windows in the corner of their laptop screen, allowing them to see the slight movement of the seagull from the corner of their eyes. When the sun hits the sky, it becomes dark and dark, and you watch until suddenly it reaches night.
While this collection of strangers on a typical web page has spirituality, it has nothing to do with actual religiousness. It’s a desire for people to experience something together, even if something is unmoderated and includes live chat.