QuarantineChat

Last updated
QuarantineChat
QuarantineChat logo.png
QuarantineChat screenshot.png
The notification received after the user has registered on the QuarantineChat website and downloaded Dialup
Developer Danielle Baskin
Max Hawkins
Type Voiced-based social networking service
Launch date1 March 2020
Operating system(s) iOS
Android
StatusActive
Website https://quarantinechat.com/

QuarantineChat is a multilingual voice-based social networking service launched on March 1, 2020, by multimedia artists Danielle Baskin and Max Hawkins. [1] [2] The service is part of Dialup, an application with the same premise. [3] The service is made for people to stay connected with other people amid the COVID-19 pandemic at select times during the day. [2] As of late April 2020, it has reported to have more than 15,000 users. [1] [4]

Contents

History

Hawkins developed an early iteration of the service in 2012 named Call in the Night, that connects people in the same time zones between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. for "conversations about dreams." [1] Baskin and Hawkins met at a Halloween party, where Baskin gave Hawkins a tarot reading. According to Baskin, the reading said that they were interested in "phone stuff," [2] which possibly prompted Hawkins to share his idea. In 2019, they launched the app Dialup. [2]

A year later, as COVID-19 spread rapidly in China, Hawkins' girlfriend talked about boredom while staying at home, [2] which prompted Hawkins and Baskin to create QuarantineChat. The service was then launched on March 1. She hopes that the service "brings magic and serendipity to a new reality where thousands of people are stuck inside alone for the next month." [5] Baskin, via Business Insider Australia, said that the purpose of the service is to "unify people using humour." [6]

Usage was then noticed in Iran, Hong Kong, Portugal, and London, [2] with the most users based on time zones are in the Pacific and Iran Standard Time. [5] As of March 11, there were 70 users detected, [5] with the number increasing to 15,000 on May 27. [1]

Technique

Users register their phone numbers via the QuarantineChat website. They then download the Dialup app via the App Store or Play Store, depending on their mobile device's operating system (OS). Once users open the app and redeem the invitation given, an alert will pop up, explaining how the service works. Users can also select conversation themes, so that the system can connect users of the same interest. [7] Prior to a random call arriving, the app will notify the user via a pre-recorded message. [8] Often it will give a conversation prompt. [2] Once a call arrives, users tap the button and will be able to call a random stranger. If the user's phone is not on, the system will divert the call to another user. [9]

Responses

The service has gotten generally positive reviews. Technology website Gadgets360 states that "it simulates the magic of having a surprise conversation with a complete stranger, who is stuck at home as well due to this viral epidemic." [10] The New York Times states, "Each conversation provided me with the illusion of floating, even briefly, into the slipstream of someone else's life. The conversations were, for the most part, effortless, inconsequential. I didn't know when they were going to come, and I didn't know where they were going to go. When I hung up, I felt transported." [1] Mashable 's Anna Iovine stated, "There may be days I don't pick up the phone [...], but having the option of meeting someone new in a time where I can't meet anyone is a luxury." [11] A CBS News reporter showed skepticism over whether it would be popular, saying "On Instagram, we're friends with people that we don't even know. So I don't think it'd be that big of a difference." [7]

Via the online publication Built In, Hawkins said that "more users have reported that the lack of video (as in videotelephony) frees them of image-consciousness." [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instant messaging</span> Form of communication over the internet

Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat allowing real-time text transmission over the Internet or another computer network. Messages are typically transmitted between two or more parties, when each user inputs text and triggers a transmission to the recipient(s), who are all connected on a common network. It differs from email in that conversations over instant messaging happen in real-time. Most modern IM applications use push technology and also add other features such as emojis, file transfer, chatbots, voice over IP, or video chat capabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Google Talk</span> Instant messaging service

Google Talk was an instant messaging service that provided both text and voice communication. The instant messaging service was variously referred to colloquially as Gchat, Gtalk, or Gmessage among its users.

This is a comparison of voice over IP (VoIP) software used to conduct telephone-like voice conversations across Internet Protocol (IP) based networks. For residential markets, voice over IP phone service is often cheaper than traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) service and can remove geographic restrictions to telephone numbers, e.g., have a PSTN phone number in a New York area code ring in Tokyo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KakaoTalk</span> South Korean mobile messaging app

KakaoTalk, commonly referred to as KaTalk in South Korea, is a mobile messaging app for smartphones operated by Kakao Corporation. It was launched on March 18, 2010, and it is available on mobile and desktop platforms.

WeChat or Weixin in Chinese ; lit. 'micro-message') is a Chinese instant messaging, social media, and mobile payment app developed by Tencent. First released in 2011, it became the world's largest standalone mobile app in 2018 with over 1 billion monthly active users. WeChat has been described as China's "app for everything" and a super-app because of its wide range of functions. WeChat provides text messaging, hold-to-talk voice messaging, broadcast (one-to-many) messaging, video conferencing, video games, mobile payment, sharing of photographs and videos and location sharing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Messenger (software)</span> American instant messaging app

Messenger is an American proprietary instant messaging app and platform developed by Meta Platforms. Originally developed as Facebook Chat in 2008, the company revamped its messaging service in 2010, released standalone iOS and Android apps in 2011, and released standalone Facebook Portal hardware for Messenger calling in 2018. In April 2015, Facebook launched a dedicated website interface, Messenger.com, and separated the messaging functionality from the main Facebook app, allowing users to use the web interface or download one of the standalone apps. In April 2020, Facebook released a Messenger desktop app for Windows and macOS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upptalk</span> Proprietary voice-over-IP service and software application

Upptalk was a proprietary voice-over-IP service and software application that provided mobile phone numbers in the cloud and allows users to call or text any phone for free whether or not the device receiving the calls and texts has the Yuilop application. The service was discontinued in 2017 and even its domain was abandoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media</span>

During a time of social distancing and limited contact with others, social media became an important place to interact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media platforms helped the world remain connected, largely increasing its usage. Individuals isolated at home turned to social media to maintain their relationships and access entertainment to pass time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 surveillance</span> Measures to monitor the spread of the respiratory disease

COVID-19 surveillance involves monitoring the spread of the coronavirus disease in order to establish the patterns of disease progression. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends active surveillance, with focus of case finding, testing and contact tracing in all transmission scenarios. COVID-19 surveillance is expected to monitor epidemiological trends, rapidly detect new cases, and based on this information, provide epidemiological information to conduct risk assessment and guide disease preparedness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 apps</span> Mobile apps designed to aid contact tracing

COVID-19 apps include mobile-software applications for digital contact-tracing - i.e. the process of identifying persons ("contacts") who may have been in contact with an infected individual - deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exposure Notification</span> Initiative for mobile device-based privacy-preserving contact tracing

The (Google/Apple) Exposure Notification (GAEN) system, originally known as the Privacy-Preserving Contact Tracing Project, is a framework and protocol specification developed by Apple Inc. and Google to facilitate digital contact tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic. When used by health authorities, it augments more traditional contact tracing techniques by automatically logging close approaches among notification system users using Android or iOS smartphones. Exposure Notification is a decentralized reporting protocol built on a combination of Bluetooth Low Energy technology and privacy-preserving cryptography. It is an opt-in feature within COVID-19 apps developed and published by authorized health authorities. Unveiled on April 10, 2020, it was made available on iOS on May 20, 2020 as part of the iOS 13.5 update and on December 14, 2020 as part of the iOS 12.5 update for older iPhones. On Android, it was added to devices via a Google Play Services update, supporting all versions since Android Marshmallow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital contact tracing</span> Method of contact tracing using mobile devices

Digital contact tracing is a method of contact tracing relying on tracking systems, most often based on mobile devices, to determine contact between an infected patient and a user. It came to public prominence in the form of COVID-19 apps during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the initial outbreak, many groups have developed nonstandard protocols designed to allow for wide-scale digital contact tracing, most notably BlueTrace and Exposure Notification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NHS COVID-19</span> UK contact tracing app for COVID-19

NHS COVID-19 was a voluntary contact tracing app for monitoring the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in England and Wales. It had been available since 24 September 2020 for Android and iOS smartphones, and can be used by anyone aged 16 or over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corona-Warn-App</span> German COVID-19 contact tracing app

Corona-Warn-App is the official and open-source COVID-19 contact tracing app used for digital contact tracing in Germany made by SAP and Deutsche Telekom subsidiary T-Systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID Tracker Ireland</span> Contact tracing application released by the Government of Ireland on 7 July 2020

COVID Tracker Ireland is a digital contact tracing app released by the Irish Government and the Health Service Executive on 7 July 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Ireland. The app uses ENS and Bluetooth technology to determine whether a user have been a close contact of someone for more than 15 minutes who tested positive for COVID-19. On 8 July, the app reached one million registered users within 36 hours after its launch, representing more than 30% of the population of Ireland and over a quarter of all smartphone users in the country. As of August 2021, over 3,030,000 people have downloaded the app.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public health mitigation of COVID-19</span> Measures to halt the spread of the respiratory disease among populations

Part of managing an infectious disease outbreak is trying to delay and decrease the epidemic peak, known as flattening the epidemic curve. This decreases the risk of health services being overwhelmed and provides more time for vaccines and treatments to be developed. Non-pharmaceutical interventions that may manage the outbreak include personal preventive measures such as hand hygiene, wearing face masks, and self-quarantine; community measures aimed at physical distancing such as closing schools and cancelling mass gathering events; community engagement to encourage acceptance and participation in such interventions; as well as environmental measures such surface cleaning. It has also been suggested that improving ventilation and managing exposure duration can reduce transmission.

Comparison of user features of messaging platforms refers to a comparison of all the various user features of various electronic instant messaging platforms. This includes a wide variety of resources; it includes standalone apps, platforms within websites, computer software, and various internal functions available on specific devices, such as iMessage for iPhones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imo.im</span> Instant messaging software service

imo is a proprietary audio/video calling and instant messaging software service. It allows sending music, video, PDFs and other files, along with various free stickers. It supports encrypted group video and voice calls with up to 20 participants. According to its developer, the service possesses over 200 million users and over 50 million messages per day are sent through it.

COVID-19 Contact-Confirming Application, abbreviated as COCOA, is a COVID-19 application for smartphones provided by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. The application uses Bluetooth to detect and record suspected close contacts between users. If the contact is diagnosed with COVID-19, the user will be notified. After receiving the notification, the user can consider self-isolation or go to a medical institution for treatment.

Danielle Baskin is an American conceptual artist based in San Francisco.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Lockwood, Devi (2020-05-27). "QuarantineChat Brings Back Spontaneity (and Distraction)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Schulman, Michael. "QuarantineChat Connects Sheltering Strangers". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  3. ↑ "QuarantineChat, a voice chat service connecting quarantined people". Dhaka Tribune. 2020-03-13. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  4. ↑ "For those seeking socialization, Quarantine Chat pairs strangers across the globe". WTOP. 2020-04-29. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  5. 1 2 3 "A Pair of Inventive Artists Developed an App That Enables Strangers in Quarantine All Over the World to Talk to Each Other". artnet News. 2020-03-11. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  6. ↑ López, Canela (2020-03-10). "Artists created a voice chat service to connect lonely people quarantined during the coronavirus outbreak". Business Insider Australia. Archived from the original on 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  7. 1 2 New App, QuarantineChat, Connects People Amid Social Distancing, WCCO, archived from the original on 2020-10-02, retrieved 2020-07-03– via YouTube
  8. ↑ "This app is connecting lonely people under coronavirus quarantine". The Daily Dot. 2020-03-04. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  9. ↑ "QuarantineChat, An Encrypted Phone Service That Connects Quarantined People With Each Other". Laughing Squid. 2020-03-16. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  10. ↑ "Apps to Help You Stay Connected (Survive) During Coronavirus Lockdown". NDTV Gadgets 360. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  11. ↑ Iovine, Anna (2020-03-23). "QuarantineChat is here to help us survive social distancing". Mashable Pakistan. Archived from the original on 2020-07-03. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  12. ↑ "QuarantineChat Is Keeping Chance Encounters Alive in the Age of Distancing". Built In. Archived from the original on 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.