What happens when everyone can essentially become their own, live television station on a moment’s notice? We’re finding out, as Facebook Live begins to show signs of creating a societal shift. Even though Live was preceded by such apps as Meerkat and Periscope (and even Instagram has a “Live” option now), Facebook Live is built into the largest social network and so has quickly gained a lot of traction. While some experts believe Facebook’s streaming video option is going big this year, there’s still some criticism and concerns about problems that have yet to be worked out.
- Why Facebook Live is not ready for prime time [Mark Schafer] “Those obstacles don’t go away in a year, or even two years. Will there be an increase in live video? Of course. That seems like a pretty safe prediction. Will there be a transformation in 2017? No. It’s a couple of years away.”
- Facebook Live is the new key witness to crime [CNN] “As a society interested in retributive justice, the last thing we want to do is point the finger at social media. Quite the contrary; we should be thrilled that there are outlets like Facebook and Snapchat enticing criminals to post conclusive evidence of their own crimes.”
- Facebook Live is changing the world – but not in the way it hoped [The Guardian] “But those audiences also outpace Facebook’s own ability to moderate content. While videos can be reported, for spam or offensive content, just like other posts, the real-time nature of the events seems to be beyond Facebook’s scope, meaning that videos are often taken down hours after they’ve already ended.”
- Opinion: can Facebook Live video work? [Digital Park] “It is clear that the market, although small, is there for ‘live videos’, but the only obstacle I see that all these companies have failed to overcome is TIME – and I do not mean the magazine. Our time is precious to us and wasting our time watching someone else live is eating in to our time.”
From the Ohio Web Library:
- Facebook Live and Periscope: Live Streaming for Social Workers [SAMUDIO, M. Facebook Live and Periscope: Live Streaming for Social Workers. New Social Worker. 23, 4, 28, 2016. ISSN: 10737871]
- Man crashes while streaming 100 mph drive on Facebook Live [he Associated, P. Man crashes while streaming 100 mph drive on Facebook Live. US News Online. Dec. 1, 2016]
- Facebook Live irks operators [SUCHIVA, N. Facebook Live irks operators. Bangkok Post (Thailand). Jan. 20, 2017]
