ABSTRACT
This chapter explores that potential by examining a major news issue through the lens of social media livestreaming. Facebook Live, Periscope, YouTube, and other social media platforms have propelled live broadcasting into new territory, far beyond the once exclusive realm of Television (TV). Some viewers shared the news on their social networks as a live broadcast-within-a-broadcast by pointing their phones at their TV sets. Livestreams offer drama and distant witnessing, but at the same time, can reveal unspeakable horror. The streams offer a rare glimpse into the thoughts and emotions of teens as they process a traumatic life event. During the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, a student made a video inside a classroom and posted it to YouTube. TV journalists included that video in their own coverage, which was going out in real time on other social platforms.
