Up, Periscope: California artist discovers Twitter’s new app

Amanda Oleander was driving through traffic down a sunny street in Los Angeles with palm trees alongside and she was talking about dreams.

She was broadcasting live with her iPhone mounted to her dashboard using Periscope. She said she had once told her parents that she was moving to Los Angeles to pursue her dream to become a full-time artist and that if she died in the process, then so be it. While she was saying this, "You Know You Like It," by DJ Snake and AlunaGeorge, was playing on the radio.

"I'm no fool, no, I'm not a follower

I don't take things as they come

If they bring me down

Life can be cruel if you're a dreamer

I just wanna have some fun

Don't tell me what can't be done"

I knew I was hooked. I was hooked on Amanda, hooked by the song, and hooked on Periscope — the application that made it possible to get a glimpse into another life.

Periscope was founded by Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein. It allows people to broadcast live video to followers and the public. Users can send messages to the broadcaster which appear on the screen in real time. Periscopers can tap the screen to give hearts to the broadcaster, which flow up the screen in an array of colors depending on who sent them. Broadcasts can also be shared with friends.

Twitter purchased periscope for a reported $100 million and the app was made public on March 26.

As I continued to follow Amanda, a talented and beautiful artist was revealed, and also an amazing person. Users often ask to see her artwork and she shows pieces in her apartment and directs them to AmandaOleander.com . She describes herself as a "one-woman shop," but that will probably change, thanks to Periscope.

The more she broadcasted, showing everything from cooking meals to taking strolls in malls and the streets of Malibu; the more the hearts kept coming. Right after a small 3.5 magnitude earthquake rattled her apartment, Amanda reached 4 million hearts. That's a lot of tapping. She is now the fifth-most hearted Periscoper, and it's just getting started. She is now approaching 10 million hearts.

Amanda uses periscope as a medium to sell her art, but also as a means to inspire others. She diligently answers questions and gives advice on how to make it in art. "The universe has a way of rewarding those who don't give up," she says.

If the Internet is the ocean and its users are exploring in a submarine, then yes, this app is at least one of the proverbial periscopes to that vessel. I have seen other live-broadcasting abilities on the Internet, but no one brings it to the masses quite like Periscope. This is what social media was made for. "Full speed ahead" in our yellow submarine.