Remember when Facebook just about updating status, posting pictures, and adding friends? Back in 2004 when Facebook was launched, everyone went crazy over it instantly. Everyone wanted to have their own account so that they will be in a so called ‘in trend’.
As time goes by, Facebook keeps on adding and improving their features. However, the increase the features, doesn’t mean that they are also providing a pleasant platform for all users. Recently, there has been a rising issue about one of the current trending Facebook features that is Live streaming. Since Facebook launched this feature, the company has been hit by several high profile storms after people repeatedly used it to broadcast violent crimes.
Facebook users can choose the mode of update they want to post, either to post a photo or video, tag people in their post, add a feeling or what they are doing and also check into a location. Meanwhile, live streaming is basically when they want to update the post by broadcasting or ‘Go Live’, which is somehow a more effective and ‘satisfying’ since they will able to see who is viewing their broadcast, as well as a stream of real-time comments.
However, good thing also comes with the bad ones. Since it was launched back in August 2015, there have been a lot of violent cases reported all over the world. Recently, on April, a young father from Thailand broadcasted himself murdering his 11 month-old daughter by hanging the girl from a building in a live video on Facebook before killing himself right after that.
In Chicago, several young African-American adults broadcasted them bullying and tormenting a mentally disabled teen live on Facebook with the teen being tied up in a room with duct tape across his mouth and cut off that boy’s cloth.
According to Dr Maat Lewis, an associate professor and former deputy chair and director of counselling services in the Department of Counselling and Human Services at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, those who commit violence, homicide or suicide in Facebook want others to feel their pain, which is somehow caused by mental illness or interpersonal conflict.
However, even after these series of bad incidents, instead of shutting down this Live Streaming, Facebook will just add add 3,000 more content reviewers and invest in tools to help remove objectionable content more quickly. Is doing this will decrease the violent acts broadcast on Facebook? Violence is happening every day, it is normal. But seeing the act being broadcasted and published until the point it becomes normal is absolutely not healthy, it is sick.
References
DeMers, J. (2015, December 14). Live Streaming Is Coming To Facebook: What You Need To Know. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2015/12/14/live-streaming-is-coming-to-facebook-what-you-need-to-know/#78d1633b78d1
Jabali, M. (2017, April 19). How does the violence shared on social media platforms and features — like Facebook Live — affect the perpetrator, the victim and the viewer? Retrieved from Essence: http://www.essence.com/culture/facebook-live-social-media-violence
Mozur, P. (2017, April 25). Father in Thailand Kills 11-Month-Old Daughter Live On Facebook. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/25/world/asia/thailand-phuket-facebook-killing-daughter.html?_r=0
Rowland, A. (2017, January 5). 4 in Custody in Facebook Live Torture Case: Police. Retrieved from Crystal Lake Patch: https://patch.com/illinois/crystallake/mentally-disabled-crystal-lake-man-tortured-called-donald-trump-facebook-live