Artists and musicians may want to live stream their performances as a way to gain more exposure, connect with their fans, or even make a few extra dollars. On the other hand, a political group may want to live stream a protest or debate as a way to sway public opinion. Live streaming has the potential to bring significant events to a wider audience and engage them in ways that are not possible through other means. Although the reaction of the intended audience is an indirect effect, live streaming can, in fact, be a call to action. Live streaming a protest could show others the strength in unity and inspire them to protest the same cause. Live stream viewers can react to what they are viewing and see live-streamed results of their actions. An example of this could be a charity live stream that involves a stunt or challenge. If the viewers raise a certain amount of money, they get to see the broadcaster do something out of the ordinary and the effects can be immediately broadcasted. This all being said, events can have both intended and unintended consequences, and this is where things get tricky.
Considering the recent state of the world, where COVID-19 has forced people into isolation and travel restrictions have meant the postponement of many significant events, live streaming could be an alternative that connects people and allows important events to continue. For better or worse, people will want to live stream and watch live streams of significant events. This paper will focus on how live streaming services can be used or misused to bring about social change and activism. Although live streaming is most commonly associated with gaming, the scope of live streaming is wide and there are many different things that can be broadcast. For the purpose of this paper, a significant event is something that is important to a large group of people. This could be anything from a cultural or religious ceremony to a heated one-on-one debate. An event becoming a live stream largely depends on the intent of the broadcaster.
Live streaming services are one form of these real-time services that are currently available. Live streaming is an interactive and engaging viewing experience for an audience that is seeking real-time events. Live stream viewers and broadcasters are able to communicate with each other in real time, making it an effective tool for social interaction. Live streaming is a service that has the potential to bring about significant social change and activism. Imagine, for instance, a live stream of the presidential debate that allowed viewers to fact-check in real time. Live streaming has the advantage of higher audience participation it facilitates. This is because viewers are often more engaged and focused on a live stream than a recorded event and can feel like they are part of the action by having a direct line of communication with the broadcaster. This potential was recently realized by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who offered to donate two million dollars to charity if he could get 100 thousand live viewers watching a Twitch live stream of the new battle-royale game Crucible.
A cultural shift is occurring in internet-based services. It is moving away from the on-demand model and towards real-time capabilities. More and more internet-based companies are considering the inclusion of real-time features in their product offerings; features that allow users to communicate and collaborate with each other on the internet more easily. At the same time, these internet-based companies are in fierce competition to capture and retain their audiences. They are aware that their products are often more enjoyable to use when there are others to share them with. The common goal is to increase the level of social interaction among their users. Real-time services foster this social environment by providing users with engaging, interactive, and truly social experiences.
Benefits of Live Streaming Services for Social Change
An example of live streaming’s accessibility providing more multicultural exchange in social change can be seen on BlogTV. BlogTV provides a free live streaming platform with a chat window available for all users. This feature was used during the Iranian Election Protests in 2009 to provide a 24-hour live stream of the riots and events taking place in Iran. Cohney24, an Iranian Jew living in America, felt compelled to contribute to what he describes as “a part of my homeland’s history that I couldn’t take part in”. He was able to set up a live stream from various international news sources and provide a real-time Persian to English translation for his viewers throughout the entire protest. Cohney24’s live stream has given the global Persian community a chance to voice their opinions on the election and learn what other English-speaking cultures think of the events taking place in Iran. This is one of the first times in history where a multicultural event has been this accessible to people of all cultures and languages.
Increased Reach and Accessibility
The ability to embed and archive live streams can also serve to extend live content’s reach well beyond the duration of the stream itself. With options to re-watch or catch up on missed content, educators, businesses, and organizations can not only interest a larger initial audience, but provide a resource that continues to be accessed over time as word of the stream’s value continues to spread. Live stream archiving can be particularly beneficial for building a backlog of training or educational material which can be revisited or built upon over time.
The additional, yet built-in, accessibility of live streamed content can also increase the convenience or reach of educational offerings, allowing access to people with limited transportation options, personal mobility (elderly, handicapped), or time constraints. Educational presentations such as Q&A sessions, debates, or tutorials can engage viewers in a way similar to traditional, on-campus offerings. For example, the editor of The Gaming Accessibility Community, a blog and podcast that discuss the benefits of gaming for disabled people, says that his viewers are above average fans of streaming gaming content. He expressed definite interest in moving his future podcast offerings to live streamed video via Twitch, and neatly condenses the overall potential of live streaming for anyone, disabled or not.
Real-Time Engagement with Audience
These strategies demonstrate how technological developments have made it possible to create virtual spaces that simulate traditional forms of public discourse.
Gather, a strategy to create a more deliberative and participatory tool for online video, was proposed in the form of a virtual video townhall. While the exact details are not fully described, there is interest in best utilizing live streaming video and integrating it with a collaborative annotation tool such as Mozilla’s Popcorn so that viewers can discuss video content in an asynchronous manner.
Real-time function also aids in connecting global and local issues. For example, during the peak of the Arab Spring, many people took to social media to discuss events as they were happening. Live discussion of live streamed videos provided a space for both reflection on events and dialogue as to what actions should be taken.
OpenTownHall, a platform created by Peak Democracy, is an example of a tool that integrates live streaming video with online deliberation. In April of 2015, the platform was used as part of a participatory budgeting process in New York City where residents were able to watch a live stream of a budget delegate orientation and then interact and ask questions with the delegates. This enhanced dialogue led to increased mutual understanding between delegates and residents, a key principle of deliberative democracy.
Real-time engagement presents innovative and bold approaches to fostering civic participation, such as the integration of real-time polls and surveys into a documentary on an issue or using social media to spark deliberation on public policy. As described by Stephanie L. Witt, live streaming tools can also be used to mobilize collective action by enabling simultaneous interaction among citizens. Viewers can engage in rich, two-way communication with content producers and among themselves.
Cost-Effective Solution
With the current economic downturn, it is more important than ever for various activist and non-profit organizations to save money while looking to publicize and share their efforts. Live streaming is a cost-effective solution in comparison to traditional media, which has been used in the past for awareness events. Because traditional media is not necessarily conducive to user participation over the last few decades, the technology has been fragmented. An example of this is Sunday morning news shows, which have become more of a lecture rather than a dialogue between the host and the viewers at home. This is uninteresting and ineffective for organizations that are looking to increase participation. Campaign managers have strayed away from television as ratings and production costs have increased over the years to the point that it has become unfeasible for smaller organizations. Money is better invested in a method that has potential for growth and one where statistics prove that its audience will move to the internet. Live streaming is the future for organizations looking to share and spread ideas. Economic change is of importance to all activist and NPO organizations. High production TV shows do little to benefit organizations because they are speaking to an audience which likely does not have an issue with the topic they are presenting. Regarding data from the US Census Bureau, out of an audience of one hundred, only nine viewers donated to charity in 2011. With the current economic downturn, it is more important than ever for various activist and non-profit organizations to save money while looking to publicize and share their efforts. Live streaming is a cost-effective solution in comparison to traditional media, which has been used in the past for awareness events. Because traditional media is not necessarily conducive to user participation over the last few decades, the technology has been fragmented. An example of this is Sunday morning news shows, which have become more of a lecture rather than a dialogue between the host and the viewers at home. This is uninteresting and ineffective for organizations that are looking to increase participation. Campaign managers have strayed away from television as ratings and production costs have increased over the years to the point that it has become unfeasible for smaller organizations. Money is better invested in a method that has potential for growth and one where statistics prove that its audience will move to the internet. Live streaming is the future for organizations looking to share and spread ideas. Economic change is of importance to all activist and NPO organizations. High production TV shows do little to benefit organizations because they are speaking to an audience which likely does not have an issue with the topic they are presenting. Regarding data from the US Census Bureau, out of an audience of one hundred, only nine viewers donated to charity in 2011. High-income Americans are the most likely to donate and volunteer, with donation rates declining at a steady rate of 25% for every 20-year decrease in age. The younger generation is the future, and now is the key time to expose them to global issues. At an average cost of several dollars per viewer, these numbers illustrate that traditional visual mediums are not cost-effective for advocacy.
Challenges and Considerations
This leads to wide-reaching concerns about what content is suitable for streaming and how it is regulated. Due to the uncensored nature of live streaming and the potential traffic to any one livestream, it is not uncommon for obscene comments, trolling, or hate speech to be directed at live streamers. An early study on the text chat in live streaming events found “a dark and disturbing side to the chat room” with examples of text that would be considered “extremely abusive, obscene, racist, or sexually explicit”. The very public nature of comments or chat can also create further embarrassment and harassment for streamers who may not have the technical capabilities to moderate or employ others to do so.
Privacy Concerns and Content Moderation: As live streaming grows, it is clear that the use of corporations and governments employing and also disrupting streams, as well as individuals using streams to invade the privacy of others, are growing concerns. Whether it be in a positive protest or a corporate event, people are recognizing the power of live streaming as an uncut, uncensored media. This is considered to be both an advantage and disadvantage, as although events like the Arab Spring have shown the potential of live streaming as a tool of social and political change, it is often the case that negative events such as police brutality are recorded and reported. Despite their ability to record and document such events, some live streamers have expressed concerns about safety and persecution.
Internet Connectivity: A study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2014 showed that 15% of Americans had limits to their broadband usage. In the developing world, there are even further-reaching problems with connectivity. It is obvious that without a reliable internet connection, streaming is impossible. However, it also must be of a certain quality, or users will become frustrated and disengage. A study conducted on video streaming in Sub-Saharan Africa found that users with low bandwidth would quite often abandon streams they saw as being too high in quality for their connection to handle. It is therefore important that technical preparation for streaming takes into account target audiences and seeks ways to be as accessible as possible. Despite many of these challenges, there are numerous examples of live streaming events from areas of the world facing internet and bandwidth issues.
Internet Connectivity and Bandwidth
All of these disparities in internet connectivity mean that there is no blanket solution for choosing a suitable software or encoding method for live streaming. A particular combination of software and settings which will work fine for one person may not be suitable for another. It is important to have a good understanding of internet speed and bandwidth and to choose a method of streaming which best utilizes the resources available. Internet speed can be tested using various online tools, and in some cases, it may be necessary to contact an ISP for information on connection quality and stability.
Another key consideration is the increasing trend of mobile internet in comparison to fixed-line internet. While mobile internet has the potential to allow anyone to stream from anywhere, it is heavily reliant on the existence of suitable data plans and network coverage. Currently, data plans that allow high amounts of data are still relatively expensive, and mobile network coverage can often be unreliable even in developed countries. This means that mobile internet usage may not necessarily ensure a stable connection and enough bandwidth to stream. As mobile data infrastructure in developing countries continues to improve, it is possible that mobile internet will eventually become a more viable streaming platform.
Statistically, developing countries have a much lower ratio of internet users than developed countries. The ITU estimated in 2007 that about 20% of people in developing countries have access to the internet, compared with 71% in developed countries. As high-speed internet has become an essential tool for streaming, this means that media activists in developing countries are going to face greater challenges when trying to live stream. The digital divide does not just exist between developed and developing countries though. It is often difficult for lower income communities to gain high-speed access. Low-income areas in developed countries may also have slower and less reliable internet connections than higher-income areas.
Content Moderation and Privacy Concerns
One of the most popular live streaming services is the website Twitch.tv. The terms of service for Twitch.tv on the topic of potentially controversial content state the following: “…if the content is an online broadcast of an event that is newsworthy or it is discussed in an analytical or educational manner, it may be allowed. We will evaluate such content on a case-by-case basis.” This highlights the gray area surrounding what is and is not acceptable in terms of moderation. Although general guidelines may be set, the ultimately subjective nature of the decision can mean that it is difficult to predict whether certain content may be censored. High-profile instances of content removal, such as the closure of Luke Rudkowski’s live stream at the 2008 Republican National Convention, are likely to deter activists and make use of live streaming services seem unviable.
The aspect of content moderation and privacy concerns is a critical area when considering the use of live streaming services for social change and activism. Content moderation is a concept that has now become well-established and generally refers to the control and monitoring of user-generated material. With modern internet-based applications and services such as live streaming, the identification and filtering of content that is inappropriate or irrelevant is seen as an essential part of the user experience. However, there is a clear conflict with the aims of social change and activism movements with such moderation. The fear is that the message conveyed within a live stream will be subject to censorship or removal.
Technical Requirements and Expertise
Real broadcast to a web audience involves a streaming server. Many organizations do not have access to a streaming server, while others may not be able to afford services offered by external providers. Due to the high and variable costs associated with streaming servers, this may be a barrier for smaller organizations with minimal funding. Finally, it is necessary to consider whether viewers will have sufficient bandwidth to view the stream. Although internet connectivity is discussed in the next section, it is important to consider the audience’s connectivity along with the available bandwidth of the hosting web server when choosing a streaming rate.
One of the top issues that potential viewers will encounter involves getting the stream to work on their computer. Interested viewers may spend considerable time trying to figure out why they cannot view a particular video. Frustration will result in the abandonment of the video. A best-case scenario would involve minimal effort by the viewer to get a stream to work. For these reasons, it is important to evaluate the popularity of various players and formats to ensure that the proper ones are being used.
To use live streaming effectively, organizations must consider the technical requirements, expertise, and capabilities needed by their target audience. The proliferation of various streaming multimedia formats and the range of different players suggests that web-based content post-production video (on the internet or intranet) involves conversion from an original file and activity to edit what will be the final distribution.
Legal and Ethical Considerations
The ability to easily live stream from any location with an internet connection may inspire activists to document and live stream confrontations between other citizens and law enforcement in the hopes that any injustices that occur will be brought to light. It is a common and valid tactic for holding law enforcement agencies accountable for their actions and may certainly be effective at prompting members of the public to take action in response to a recorded incident. However, the legal implications of such actions can be significant for the person live streaming the incident and may not lead to desirable outcomes. A case study of a live-streamed protest in the United Kingdom provides a good example of the potential legal ramifications of live streaming in what might commonly be thought of as a traditionally public political demonstration.
When examining the legal and ethical considerations involved in using live streaming as a tool for social change and activism, it is important to remember that although live streaming is relatively new and may provide activists with opportunities for documentation and awareness that were previously unavailable, the laws and social norms governing acceptable behavior in the public sphere have not changed.
Successful Examples of Live Streaming for Social Change
In addition to learning what makes a campaign successful, we can look at specific examples of campaigns that use live video to achieve positive social change. To identify these examples, we worked backward from the successful live video events we have studied in other parts of the research. We also sought to identify the ways in which prominent organizations involved in social change are already using live video and whether these efforts have been successful. Finally, we looked at how specific movements, including those less well organized, were using live video. This included searches on platforms like Twitch, Periscope, and YouTube in addition to the major live video platforms. These methods led us to examples of live video being employed for a wide variety of social change efforts, providing a broad view of how live video can affect the overall live streaming landscape.
Climate Change Activism
One successful example of internet live streaming took place during the run-up to the Copenhagen climate talks in 2009. Concerned that global leaders were not doing enough to tackle climate change, environmentalist and futurist Mark Pesce came together with video bloggers Kate Carruthers and Silas Howard to form the TwRio team. TwRio, while not strictly a live streaming, showcased videos of events in the run-up to the Copenhagen summit with the aim of keeping the issue of climate change at the forefront of people’s minds. Videos were taken to Denmark and many of the participants also micro-blogged on the event using Twitter. TwRio received international attention and was awarded a micro-grant to continue their work in the global fight against climate change. In March 2013, a group of Australian climate change activists formed The Cate Faehrmann Live Streamers. Aiming to provide insight and coverage of climate events which mainstream media was ignoring, the group began by live video streaming events and interviews which took place during the Bentley blockade in the Northern Rivers of NSW. Interviews with Hemp Party political candidates, local community spokespeople, and the samba band which played at the protest were just some of the initial offerings from The Cate Faehrmann Live Streamers. This team has since provided live video coverage of events at the September 2013 Sydney rally against WestConnex, and more recently the group has been sending a live video feed of Question Time from NSW parliament and conducting interviews with MPs on the issue of coal seam gas in New South Wales.
Racial Justice Movements
Three examples of live streaming on the front lines of racial justice movements in the US showcase the potential of this technology. Bishop Garrison, a US army officer and advocate for social justice, was live streaming from a protest in Baton Rouge just one day after a gunman ambushed and killed three police officers in that city. As he walks and talks into the camera, providing his view of events and conversations with other demonstrators, his goal is to show the world a different side of the protests and provide a voice to the grievances of the communities of color in Louisiana. In the early hours of July 6th, while still demonstrating in Baton Rouge, he becomes witness to a highly visible arrest of a fellow activist and is able to capture clear video evidence of what he believes to be an unlawful and aggressive detainment. His live stream and subsequent uploads of the footage became key tools in arguing the case for this activist’s release and a turning point in the events which led to improvement in the relationship between police and protestors. At the largest US Black Lives Matter protests in recent years, the live stream of the aftermath of Philando Castile’s shooting in Minnesota yielded dramatic footage. Diamond Reynolds began a Facebook live stream only minutes after her boyfriend was shot by an officer while reaching for his wallet. As her phone falls to the ground and her voice remains surprisingly level, the world becomes witness to her boyfriend’s last moments and her own composed but desperate attempts to accommodate the very law enforcement officers who have just killed her boyfriend. The video went viral and has proven to be a key factor in keeping Castile’s case in the public eye.
Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Efforts
A great example of a humanitarian aid effort conducted through live streaming is the Quest2Finish campaign run by the non-profit organization GlobalGiving. This campaign was designed to help survivors of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The campaign challenged the gaming community, and anyone else who was interested, to get involved by playing their favorite video game as a way to raise money for the cause. Those who wished to participate simply signed up to the campaign and then set up an account on the online fundraising platform JustGiving and linked it to the campaign. When the participant raised the necessary funds, they were then eligible to receive a raffle ticket for a draw which would have an assortment of great prizes. All participants were encouraged to donate the money that they would have usually spent on fun leisure activities to the cause. The campaign was played out live over the internet as the prize draw was conducted in the presence of the campaign’s organizers and the prizes were won by the lucky raffle ticket holders. This interactive nature of the campaign was designed to harness the power of community and live streaming. It provided an engaging way for the public to get involved in the cause and actually see the change taking place as raffle proceeds were used to provide survivors with secure and adequate housing. This campaign was very successful in achieving its goal of creating a buzz within a dedicated community and providing an interactive mode for supporters to witness the change taking place through their donations.