Streaming Video in the Social Media Landscape
Over the weekend I watched an event put on by the Ultimate Fighting Championship; this event was streamed live on Facebook. The quality of the video wasn’t bad, and access to the stream was fairly easy; I had to like the page on Facebook and then I could just click the event to view.
Access and quality were aspects that were expected, and meet my expectations for the event. The aspect that conjured up the feeling that something was missing however was the social experience as a viewer. Normally if I were to watch a live sporting event it would be with some friends; while watching this UFC event I found myself sitting in my study streaming the event from my laptop on to a TV. I was isolated, not sharing the experience with anyone else. Sure, I could leave comments on the page while I watched stream, but it really isn’t the same as interacting with another person directly; ether face to face or via some form of digital communication.
I like the concept of streaming live events on social media sites, there seems to be a lot of opportunity in that space for production companies to provide an experience that could give the viewer an elevated sense of involvement. The idea being that social media is a medium to foster interaction with those you have common interests with. I found my experience watching the UFC on Facebook the furthest thing from that. Had there been some kind of integrated chat with the stream that would allow me to discuss the event as it were going on, or at least to view s stream of comments related to the event, it would have very likely generated a greater sense of involvement. Ideally if I had the option to view the event while hosting a chat room with just a few of my friends who are also fans, while maybe being able to also see a stream of comments on the same page, that would have been fantastic.
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