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SALT LAKE CITY — You’ve probably heard of Marco Polo, the explorer in a history class, or played the game in a swimming pool. However, have you heard about it on your smart phone? It’s a free video messaging app and it’s more popular in Utah than anywhere else in the world.
In a fast-paced world, it’s easy to get lost. Many of us are living somewhere else, looking at a screen and missing what’s right in front of us. It’s that sentiment that led to the creation of Marco Polo.
“We really wanted something when you said the name there was a call and a response associated with it,” said co-founder, Vlada Bortnik. “We didn’t want to indicate just a one-sided conservation.”
Bortnik and her husband created the app a few years ago in California, but lately something’s happening right here in Utah.
“It’s tripled in the last year,” said Bortnik. “It’s growing so fast in Utah.”
Utah doesn’t just like Marco Polo, it's downloaded more per capita than anywhere else in the entire world.
“One out of 10 Utahns now are on Marco Polo.”
Bortnik came to Utah on Friday to find out why the Beehive State is buzzing about the app.
“(What I found) consistently was this emphasis on relationships and families and in Utah, there are just larger families,” Bortnik said. “I just met this one woman who has 100 cousins and they’re all using Marco Polo to stay in touch,” she said.
Not everyone in Utah has that big of a family, but most do know how big a difference consistently connecting with loved ones can make.
“Feeling close to somebody is one of the key ingredients of happiness,” she said.
The app also has live capabilities. You can watch your messages as they arrive or if you prefer, you can watch them later. You can create group conversations, or one-on-one chats.
