Since many years ago the vast majority of social networks implemented the function to stream. Of course, Facebook did not want to be left behind and launched Facebook Live Map. If you are interested in knowing what it is, what it is for and why has Facebook removed it out of nowhere, then keep reading.
Live broadcasts have proven to be a fundamental tool for reaching large masses in real time.since its scope is considerably greater than that of other publications.
Facebook try replicate the success that the platform Periscope with streaming. Although it was a good bet, Live Map was not what they expected.
What was Facebook Live Map and what was this function of the Streaming platform for?
During 2016 Facebook officially implemented its own streaming service, which received the name of Facebook Live. Later, the tool was complemented with an interactive map, Facebook Live Map. What was and what was this function of the streaming platform for? To begin with, it should be noted that Facebook Live is a streaming service which was initially only available in the iOS and Android versions of the App.
However, nowadays you can do live broadcasts from the website. Through this application, users have the option of sharing any event or event in real time from the mobile device. People who are watching the broadcast can interact with the reactions and comments, which gives the publication positioning.
Shortly after its launch, Facebook also released Live Map. A virtual representation of a world map that showed you where in the world a broadcast started. At the time, Facebook Live Map was only available for the web version. You could enter Live Map from the applications section of the sidebar, by clicking on ‘Live Videos’. You also had the option to enter through the following link: Facebook.com/livemap.
Its operation was intuitive. All you had to do was hover over one of the transmission points. Immediately a live preview box would open on the screen. Likewise, if you left the cursor over the point for a few more seconds, the service displayed some branches that showed you where else the transmission was being viewed. Facebook Live Map was available to everyone, and represented an entertainment space for multiple users of the social network.
Facebook removes Facebook Live Map Why have you terminated this functionality?
At present, the interactive map has remained in the memory of the users who managed to use it. During 2019 Facebook removed Facebook Live Map, but Why have you terminated this functionality? It could be said that there is no single reason, since multiple factors came into play. First, a Facebook spokeswoman stated that the decision to discontinue Facebook Live Map was so that all the video pages on the platform were consolidated in the same place: Facebook Watch.
The spokeswoman also highlighted that the interactive map it was used by very few users. However, it declined to show usage statistics for the feature. Although they seem like reasonable motives for a company, privacy and security issues were likely influencing as well. On the one hand, Facebook Live Map was accused of promoting illegal behavior, given that a large part of the users considered that they could be easily located through the function.
This raised alarms among the staff of the social network, as they wanted to prevent negative situations from arising due to their interactive map. When it comes to Facebook, the social network has had bad moments related to live broadcasts. Such is the case of the terrorist who massacred 51 people in two mosques in New Zealand, and shared it through the streaming service.
Likewise, other violent events have been seen on the platform. Given how unpredictable live content can be, it was very difficult to convince advertisers. Therefore, in short, Facebook Live Map feature disappeared for security and privacy reasons.
At the time, many users complained about the disappearance of Facebook Live Map. On the other hand, many others understood the company’s decision towards civil liabilities regarding streaming. Today all Facebook videos converge on Facebook Watch, which has significantly increased the amount of videos that are viewed by users. Since its operation is much more conventional, easy to predict, and its monitoring is simpler.