The Rise of Microcasting
The Coronavirus pandemic has been a crisis the world has not seen in over a century. And A LOT has changed since the Spanish Flu claimed 50,000,000 deaths. One of those things is an integral part of our everyday lives, the internet. This health crisis has truly changed the way we internet.
I’m a creative strategist, primarily focused in social media. As we began to stay-at-home to slow the spread of the virus, I began to see many more friends, colleagues, brands and public figures going live on Facebook. I became curious. Just as The Ice Bucket Challenge lead to more video uploads on Facebook, the Coronavirus pandemic has lead to more usage of live broadcasting on the platform. This is The Rise of Microcasting.
Interest and an “Oh Shit” Moment
First, let's take a look at the overall interest of Facebook Live Broadcasting. The graph below shows search interest over time on Google. There’s an exponential rise from the week of 3/8 to 3/15. This is the same time that employers in the United States began to institute work from home policies. There was also another monumental event, Adam Silver canceled the NBA regular season.
Worldwide Google Search - “Facebook Live Broadcast”
This was really an “oh shit” moment for the world. While there had already been many cases and deaths in Asia and Europe, life in other parts of the world was going on as is. Silver’s decision had a domino effect with the other major sports leagues and the NCAA following suit. It also lead to tighter restrictions at the state wide level in the US and a new phrase that has become known in every household, “social distancing.”
Remote Broadcasting Becomes the New Normal
As we started to realize the severity of the pandemic, there was a shift from many programs and brands. One example is The Today Show on NBC. Anchor Savannah Guthrie took preventative measures after falling ill and decided to stay at home. The show began to feature her via remote broadcasting from her home, and soon many others on the show were doing the same.
This soon became the status quo for many network programs and other aspects of our lives, such as, schooling. Suddenly, preschool class story time was being conducting over Zoom between teachers, parents, and children.
Utilizing the technology available to us, yet a majority of the world didn’t use on a regular basis, became a normal thing.
F*ck It, Why Not?
As we hunkered down in our homes without knowing how long this would (and still will) last, there was a need for uplifting content and for businesses to shift their service models. Some began offering free services and entertainers took to Facebook Live to offer free concerts from their own homes.
From there it didn’t take long for your next door neighbor to say “f it”, down a couple glasses of rosé and click the Go Live button on their profile. You’ve probably even seen some posts from someone you knew twenty years ago asking to join them in a “virtual happy hour.” This lead to a 50% increase of Facebook Live viewers in the US alone, and a total of 8.5 billion broadcasts.