HitchHiker
November 1, 2019
Presented by CultureHub
HitchHiker is a chrome extension for creating live performances inside other people’s web browsers developed by Todd Anderson. A performer creates a room and any number of audience members can join through the extension interface. Whenever the performer goes to a new website on their computer, all of the audience members are taken to that website. The performer can then modify the content of the website, speak to the audience using their real voice or a text-to-speech one, play sounds or layer images on top of the screen, all of which is conveyed onto every audience members’ browser. Audience members can react and be part of the show too through the Twitch-style chatroom layered on top of every webpage visited. This tool can be used for remote performances, or for hybrid live performances with many computers in the same space as well as some remote participants.
HitchHiker can be found on the Chrome Web Store and the source code can be found on Github.
HitchHiker was developed within the CultureHub Residency Program.