by Moe Zilla

Created on: January 26, 2008

It was March 19, 2007, when Justin Kan first strapped on his head-mounted camera. And within two days, someone had crank-called the police, just to watch the footage of them arriving to investigate the stabbing that had been reported in Justin's apartments. Within a few months, "Justin.TV" was launched - an online platform where others could webcast their own lives. (The second reality star chosen for Justin.TV was a 23-year-old graphic designer, who was conveniently named "Justine".)

But while online video is hot, Justin.TV hasn't launched an online craze yet. Despite an investment of $50,000 and nearly six months of operation, its most popular show now has just 76 viewers (a TV show about Ron Paul), while most other "lifecasts" struggle to attain more than a few dozen viewers. One program even features of a 7-year-old monkey - who is also named Justin. It's possible that Justin.TV could eventually launch an online star - and it may achieve more popularity when personal webcasting becomes more widespread. (Although I always wonder if online video will receive a setback. If a kidnapper or stalker attacks an online webcaster, will we see a decrease in its popularity?)

But in a larger sense, Justin has already succeeded. He pointed out to one interview that privacy is slowing eroding in the world. But with surveillance cameras becoming more common in public spaces, Justin argues that ordinary people should have the same access to surveillance technology. He's already successfully raised the issue. (And he's also been kicked out of the Gap!)

Justin.TV could also achieve a "long tail" effect someday - where there's thousands of shows, each with its own handful of viewers (which would look like a very long tail if you graphed it). But the rise of Justin.TV also creates new opportunities, since Justin has said he'll censor the Justin.TV platform for hate speech and obscenities. This leaves an opening for his online rivals to offer a less-censored forum for online video.

Ultimately Justin's idea of "lifecasting" could become the next video craze - even if Justin.TV isn't the web site that delivers it!

Learn more about this author, Moe Zilla.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.