In recent months I have have been getting alerts on my Facebook feed that look like this:
“CNN is LIVE” talking about the Zika virus
” ABC7-WJLA is LIVE” talking about this weekend’s storm
” NBC is LIVE” taking about the Grammys
These alerts have been popping up more frequently as various news organizations, shows, and celebrities embrace the new trend that is live streaming.
This concept isn’t new, yet beginning in April, live streaming became popular with apps such as Periscope or Meerkat. Then businesses like Facebook joined, and now:
I can just live stream writing my blog.
It’s really pretty cool.
But what does this have to do with journalism? A lot. Now journalists are able to reach viewers across the world without setting up a live feed or satellite truck. Journalists can deliver fast breaking news, with just a phone and a data signal. The same can be said for every day Americans. A typical person can record an event in their town so the world can see. This could, however, lead to problems such as users streaming content that is violent or even illegal. Yet, live streaming is very cool and will be interesting to see where it goes from here.
Leave a response