In brief: Sasha Grey: Shortly after midnight on Oct. 5, the former performer turned streamer, DJ and author asked her followers: “Who is actually a fan of vertical live streams? I always thought vertical appealed to people that like short form videos…”
Some debates divide the internet: pineapple on pizza, tabs versus spaces. Sasha Grey has added a new one: which way the phone should face.
Shortly after midnight on Oct. 5, the former performer turned streamer, DJ and author asked her followers: “Who is actually a fan of vertical live streams? I always thought vertical appealed to people that like short form videos…”
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It’s a sharper question than it sounds. Livestreaming platforms have been pushing vertical video for years to match the way people hold their phones, and short clips on TikTok, Reels and Shorts trained a generation to watch everything upright.
Grey’s point is that a live stream isn’t a short clip. People who settle in to watch someone play a game, talk or DJ for hours often watch on bigger screens, where a tall, thin rectangle leaves a lot of the screen empty.
For a creator who knows streaming from the inside, it’s a practical concern rather than a hot take. Choosing a format decides who you’re making the show for.
The post drew a few dozen replies, which suggests the audience has opinions about aspect ratios, too.
She didn’t announce a switch either way. As of now, the question stands and so, apparently, do the phones.
It’s another sign the industry’s best-known names think about distribution as much as content. Where and how people watch matters, and the people on camera have noticed.
Somewhere a product manager is drafting a reply in landscape mode.