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Should Facebook Live have stricter censorship clauses in regards to its content?
STATES CHRONICLE – With the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida not even a month into the past, other civilians have taken arms and gunned down members of the group they hated the most – white police officers. This was the first shooting to be broadcasted through Facebook Live.
Facebook Live Will Not Change The Way Media Is Received
When Facebook Live was introduced as a service nobody at the time probably believed that one of the first big news associated with it would also include the murder of five Dallas police officers.
Facebook Live, as a system, works fine. It allows users to broadcast any content they choose. There are copyright laws in place to prevent broadcasting of an ongoing movie or a concert. However, there are no copyright regulations when it comes to live streaming an attack.
There are several items stated in the terms of use when it comes to heavy gore and wantons violence displayed, but those realistically apply when the content of the stream was rehearsed or premeditated.
Using the camera on a phone to broadcast a sniper attack against police officers as it is happening does not in any way affect the public terms of use. No ads were broadcasted, no attempt at monetization was made.
In short, the video does not go under the spectrum of user content and instead becomes a news piece. Media specialists now ask the question if news, a serious and objective affair, belongs on social media sites.
Yes, yes it does. This is not subjective but instead a hard truth to understand. No matter how brave the civilians behind the camera are, recklessly putting their life on the line, they are not recording it as news. They are witnesses who wish to raise awareness, to present the nigh-unbelievable events happening in front of them.
Saying that live streaming murder does not belong on Facebook Live is not in any way preserving the purity of younger generations, it is putting a censorship on reality.
The events that occurred in Dallas, as well as the reason for the demonstration itself, are a tragedy, but the events do need to be witnessed and shared.
Facebook has evolved beyond a social media service. It is now closer to a primary means of communication and connectivity over the Internet. The content on Facebook Live, while subject to community moderation, belongs to the users.
Photograph Courtesy of Wikipedia.
