On YouTube, thousands of viewers around the world are staring at the ruthless airing of the chimney of the Sistine Church. Sometimes a seagull will pour in and perch on the roof for a few minutes. But in most cases nothing happens.

On Wednesday, Cardinal College began the process of choosing the next pope, who will replace the late Pope Francis. It is a closed, sacred ritual that traces back to the mass media that quickly transmits news with such public interest already possible. So instead of making statements to the media, the conference showed its progress to the public through smoke - black, if they disagree with the new pope, if they make a decision, white.

While smoke signals were once intended to benefit local onlookers, dozens of global broadcasters are now streaming 24/7 coverage of Sistine Church Online. The TV host has no narrative - only the ambient noise filled with city squares, perhaps a bunch of seagulls' phone calls.

The monetary nature of “candave cam” is awesome as YouTuber strives to optimize every framework of videos to increase the chances of viral reputation.

It feels like an extension of the Nordic “slow TV” trend, where public networks broadcast boring and calm scenes. At one or a few days, the audience can watch salmon swim upstream, travel in the countryside on trains, or elk migrate to summer habitat.

In the context of YouTube, the surrounding user interfaces of these "conclusion cams" are familiar - unmodified live chats move quickly, like a live stream of a popular creator. However, unlike Fortnite Battle Royale, there is nothing to talk about in the chat. The chimney may emit black smoke or may emit white smoke. For most broadcasts, the most exciting moment happens when a bird flies through the frame.

But because it's the internet, people end up arguing about politics, football and Elon Musk. There are some annoying languages ​​out there. In some cases, viewers will buy super bells (a bold text that is more obvious in busy chats) to announce their vision for the future of the Catholic Church.

The purpose of watching the conference live is not to find out when to choose the next pope - that's what news drives notifications. On the contrary, what is seductive is quiet. Office staff may pull up a stream on a small window at the corner of the laptop screen, watching them look as they see seagulls moving slightly from the corner of their eyes. As the sunset hit, we watched the sky get darker and darker until the night.

On a common page, this stranger's party has some spirit, but it has nothing to do with the actual religious beliefs on display. It's people's desire to experience something together - even if something includes unmodified live chats.