Social media and the battle with television.
Social media continues to solidify its position as the "king" of media formats by launching a new service called "live video" (or live streaming).
This new service is being seen as a "useful" weapon for Facebook and Twitter to gain more users and overtake traditional television.
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"Live streaming" on social media
Live Video is a Facebook feature that allows users to record and stream live videos to Facebook for their friends to watch. This feature was launched a few months ago but was initially limited to celebrities or restricted Pages. Facebook's Live Video feature lets users start broadcasting live video of their surroundings in real time to Facebook. Live video also supports adding short descriptions and sending videos to multiple people at once, or limiting which friends can view the video.
Additionally, during video streaming, users can see how many people are watching their video and read comments from others. On April 7, 2016, Facebook further enhanced this feature, giving it a prominent position on its mobile app interface, replacing the previous Messenger icon. Facebook even created a page showcasing engaging live streaming content, a live streaming map across 60 countries, and more. A recent update also added Live functionality for Groups and Events.
Accordingly, Facebook users can now live stream videos for a Group or Event of their choosing. However, Facebook currently limits live video streams to no more than 30 minutes and only supports users on the iOS platform, not Android. Rival social network Twitter is also proving to be equally competitive. On April 6th, media outlets widely reported that Twitter had secured the rights to live stream 10 NBA games for $10 million.
The entire match will be streamed on Twitter so users can watch and comment simultaneously. Observers consider this a major victory for Twitter, paving the way for more live broadcasts of television programs and other exciting tournaments. By live-streaming major events, Twitter will gain more users and better compete with other social media platforms.
The big challenge for television
The launch of live video services by the two leading social networks is seen by tech experts as an unprecedented challenge to traditional television. According to Facebook's own research, a live video stream will have three times the viewership of a regular video because "more and more people are choosing to watch and share live video on Facebook because it's personal, instantaneous, and authentic." "It's fantastic that live video has become a two-way news channel. Viewers are no longer passive recipients," said Karunamurthy, a former YouTube engineer and now CEO of NOM.
According to him, viewers can interact and share directly (with the source) and become part of the news process. This feature is superior to the current passive way of receiving information between the public and the press/television. It can be said that Facebook and Twitter are creating billions of "television stations" broadcasting live online every day. For example, Facebook, with approximately 1.6 billion monthly active users as of early 2016, is becoming the world's largest "television station" in terms of both "reporters" and viewers.
Now, any social media user can become a "reporter," broadcasting an event or any content they like "live," sharing it with friends, family, or fans who subscribe to their account. Each social media user can develop their personal account into an online television channel, streaming live video content to viewers in real time.
Tech experts believe Facebook surpasses traditional television by directly addressing its shortcomings, including: the ability for viewers to interact with live broadcast content; and its widespread "live" reach, which allows Facebook to collect a massive amount of data and information from anywhere, at any time, and with the simplest tools: a smartphone and an internet connection.
No television station can afford to hire millions of reporters and cameramen to travel to every nook and cranny of the world, but Facebook and Twitter can. Furthermore, their potential to attract massive audiences has enticed advertisers to shift from traditional television to online television. These social networks have readily available tools and valuable resources for advertisers to track and measure viewership, reactions, and behavior to content, comments, and even information about individual or group viewers.
However, the assertion that "live video on social media will kill traditional journalism" may be a hasty and unfounded conclusion. Readers still need high-quality, reliable information and diverse perspectives. These are factors that live videos, sometimes innocuous, on Facebook or Twitter cannot provide. Furthermore, pressure may fall on journalists themselves, as they have a responsibility to utilize this new tool for reporting.
According to Congluan.vn
