The History of Facebook and Live Streaming

As mentioned in the introduction, live streaming is very big news for the

web and is something that many speculators are watching very closely right
now. But where did live streaming come from? What precisely is it? And
why is Facebook getting involved?
Before we dive into the nitty gritty and discuss how to get started and how
to create content, let’s rewind a little and go over some of the history of live
streaming and of Facebook so that you can get to grips with the lay of the
land…

What is Live Streaming and Why Does it Matter?
As the name suggests, ‘live streaming’ means that you’re filming videos
and streaming them live. So instead of creating content using a camera,
editing it and then uploading it to YouTube, you are instead filming and 
streaming directly. This is raw footage, broadcast live and it’s incredibly
exciting.

Normally, live streaming will take place via an app. To do this, you simply
need to install the specific app on your smartphone (which will normally be
either Meerkat or Periscope) and then you’ll hit the stream button. You may
also set up some details about the nature of the video – giving it a name, a
picture and/or a simple description.
From there, you then record with the camera in your phone and anyone
can watch from around the world who is signed in, or who sees you Tweet
that you’re going live. There are also plugins for your website (if you use
WordPress) that allow people to see if you’re live and then tune in to watch
if they so desire.

So what is it about this type of content that makes it so unique and so
effective?
Well many people have described it as the closest thing to teleporting. If
you load up Periscope for instance, then you can view a map showing
where all the feeds are coming from and then simply select which one you
would like to view. This is quite a surreal experience, as you will then be
transported into a person’s room, or even to a concert. You can now see
the world through their eyes, as it is happening. Imagine being able to
watch concerts live, comedy acts or parties that you were unable to attend!
And imagine how this could impact world events once this form of content
really takes off! Imagine if there was a tsunami or a hurricane and if you
could then view the events unfold from multiple points of view all around
the world all at once. It would almost be like being omnipresent during that
event!

For marketers this is also huge. There is something that viewers find
remarkably exciting about watching something live and this also gives them
the ability to ask questions, have discussion and get feedback live.
Imagine reviewing a product that you created during a live feed. You could
build a huge audience and at the same time answer questions that show up
and even show off other aspects of the product that you might otherwise
have glossed over.
Many marketers are also doing regular live streams: having live
discussions with their viewers over their morning cup of coffee. This allows
an unprecedented level of intimacy that can help you to build a much closer
relationship with your audience and create much more engagement.
These are the reasons that people are excited about live content online –
and there are many other potential applications and uses for this type of
content. Imagine being able to view a restaurant live, right in that moment
before you book a table. Or imagine being able to see behind the scenes
while your favorite TV show is being filmed.

The History of Live Streaming So Far
Before Facebook’s involvement, most people thought of Periscope as
being the major player in the live streaming stakes. Actually though, it was
Meerkat that was the very first to market and that really kicked things off.
And back then, no one had heard of Periscope, which make Meerkat
definitely a very exciting piece of news for pundits.
Meerkat was drawing a lot of attention very quickly then when it was first
announced in March 2015. From then, it managed to create an increasing
amount of buzz and gather a flurry of media attention. Ironically, Meerkat
also worked very closely alongside Twitter, which really helped to give it a
boost. Back then, Meerkat was known as ‘AIR’ and later on ‘Yevvo’.

But soon Twitter would decide that simply supporting Meerkat wasn’t
enough. The hype surrounding live streaming was clear and so the
company needed its own offering. Thus they bought the smaller and much
lesser known Periscope for a nice sum of $100 million. Very quickly,
Periscope rose to prominence with Twitter behind it.
Periscope very quickly proved that there is a huge audience and massive
potential for this type of content and that’s no doubt what piqued the
interest of Facebook – the ‘other’ massive social media network.
The History of Facebook so Far
That’s the history of live streaming up to the point of Facebook’s
involvement. But how about the history of Facebook itself?
Most people know a little about the history of Facebook thanks to the
successful movie The Social Network. Despite being a good film though,
many of the facts presented are inaccurate and the story is only loosely
based on the real events.
As shown in the film, Facebook was the brain child of Mark Zuckerberg
who was studying at Harvard at the time. Also as shown in the film, Mark
had previously experienced some success and controversy after creating
‘Face Mash’.
In the film, Mark is shown as being socially awkward and as using
Facebook as a means to try and enter college clubs and attract women. In
fact though, Mark was already dating his now-wife Priscilla Chan at the
time he came up with the social network! Also somewhat accurate is the
depiction of Mark’s partnership with roommate and colleague Eduardo
Saverin. It’s also true that Mark faced legal charges from the Winklevoss
twins and their friend Divya Narenda.

However, it’s also very unlikely that Mark really took inspiration from the trio
when creating Facebook. In fact, it was public knowledge at the time that
Harvard was working on their own social network but that they were taking
a long time to complete the project. Mark discussed this openly with the
Harvard Crimson and it appears more likely that this was the competition
he was more focussed on:
“It is clear that the technology needed to create a centralized Website is readily
available … the benefits are many.
“Everyone’s been talking a lot about a universal face book within Harvard. I
think it’s kind of silly that it would take the University a couple of years to get
around to it as I can do it better than they can, and I can do it in a week.”
After creating ‘The Facebook’ in blue (owing to Mark’s color-blindness) he
put it on the Kirkland House online mailing list, which had 300 subscribers.
By the end of the first night, the site already had between 1,200-1,500 new
members.
Initially, Facebook was only available to Harvard students but gradually it
would be rolled out across other colleges and then eventually certain
businesses and schools before being opened to the public. This gradually
roll-out really helped the site to pick up steam in those early days. In 2004,
Facebook expanded to include Stanford, Columbia and Yale and from
there it continued to grow.
Over the years that followed, Facebook would go on to add many new
additional features that today are considered a core part of the platform.
For instance, it wasn’t until 2006 that the company introduced its ‘News
Feed’ that initially received some backlash.
And it wasn’t until 2010 that we saw the introduction of a ‘Like’ button. This
was also the year that Facebook Messages were introduced.

Today, Facebook has more active users than the population of any given
country in the world. In fact, as of September 2015, 1.01 billion people were
logging into the site daily. There are over 1.39 billion users on Facebook
mobile alone, while the like and share buttons get over 10 million views a
day on other websites. There are over 300 million photographs uploaded
every single day and the average American will spend 40 minutes a day on
the site!
But the impact of Facebook can’t even be accurately captured by these
admittedly impressive numbers. Facebook has become much more than
just a social network and today can be considered an integral part of
modern life. Many terms such as ‘friend me’ and ‘like’ have been added to
the global lexicon and Facebook has even arguably had an impact on the
way we socialize and on our psychology more broadly. This isn’t just a tool
– it’s something that is fundamentally changing human interaction.
Acquisitions, Development and Live Streaming
It’s in this context that we need to view Facebook’s interest in live
streaming and its move into this area. For a tool that has genuinely altered
the way we communicate and the way we stay in touch, live streaming
makes all the sense in the world.
Facebook allows us to share our experiences with people around the world
by uploading photos and writing comments. But now it is going a step
further than that by letting us share those moments and memories live with
people.
And considering the billions of daily users, there is no company in the world
that is quite as well poised to really corner this market. Periscope and
Meerkat are no doubt concerned!