As of yesterday, friends around the world can use their poor quality in-built webcams to Facebook livestream themselves sitting at home doing nothing. Just what the platform needed.
Before, the feature was only available on mobile — which made sense as the things you actually want to watch live are often on the move — but Facebook has announced that this week all desktops and laptops are able to broadcast live.
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According to the platform, “computers provide a stable camera setup that can be beneficial to many types of Facebook Live broadcasts — from Q&As to vlogs to tutorials to any broadcast from someone who isn’t on the move.”
To use the feature, all one needs to do is click in the “What’s on your mind?” box, select the Live Video option and click “next.” Facebook will then open a new window for the stream.
But it hasn’t just given your bored friends something to do on a Thursday evening.
The platform has also created options for users to “share their screens, insert graphics, switch cameras, or use professional equipment in Facebook Live videos.”
This option is especially useful for gamers who want to broadcast their gameplay live. Facebook also mentions artists who can now broadcast live tutorials with multiple cameras.
As if Instagram Live videos weren’t annoying enough, here’s one more platform whose notifications will make you want to punch a Zuckerberg.
Facebook has released a step-by-step guide to using the feature, and I am imploring you: only use it if you’re deriving benefits other than instant social gratification.
