The People’s Skype is technology’s answer to the People’s Mic

Much has been made of the use of technology in the worldwide protests, from the Occupy Movement in the US, to anti-governmental protests throughout the Middle East, some of it warranted and some a little exaggerated. From Twitter to Facebook, from Bambuser to Red Phone.

The latest innovation, The People’s Skype, takes Occupy’s People’s Mic and injects a bit of technology into it, to make it go even further. If you’re not familiar with the People’s Mic – it involves one person speaking, and the crowd around repeating each sentence, to amplify it.

Literary Kicks describes it as follows:

First, a speaker says a few words in a normal voice, no more than half a sentence at a time. The speaker will then pause while many people sitting nearby will repeat the same words together loudly, thus amplifying the speaker. Next, the facilitator explained, those sitting at the far edges of the circle will repeat the same words again, to let the speaker and facilitators know that they are being heard clearly by everyone in the group. Since the second repeaters are directly facing the speaker and the first wave of repeaters, this second wave has a beautifully conversational effect, reminiscent also of a Greek chorus.

So what happens when you add Skype into the mix? With the use of the technology, People’s Skype makes it easy to reach a much larger crowd, and in a much more convenient manner.

You can start a Skype call by dialing the number 917-719-2006, and starting a one-way conference call. You can then have others connect to your mic by dialing the same number, and entering your pin number.

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There’s no limit to how this can be used – with each person tuning in on their own phone, or using several phones in one space to create a make-shift loudspeaker. It can also be used as a way to vote on issues, using keypad powered voting. And the best part is that you don’t need a smartphone to access the People’s Skype. Any phone with a working line will do the trick.

To find out more about how the People’s Skype works, check out the video below: