Kiss your sane news feed goodbye, everyone can now use their computers for Facebook Live
Give your Facebook news feed one last long, indulgent scroll. It's going to be a much busier, more ridiculous place very soon.
Facebook is rolling out the capability for all members to broadcast live directly from their personal computers via web browser, expanding the service that was previously only available on mobile devices.
Computer-based live access was granted to publishers back in January after page managers requested the feature, which helped streamline the production process for professional crews using the service. Facebook reps told us then that the capability would soon be given to the general user population, too.
That day has come, and now everyone with a webcam and something very important to say can go live whenever they want, directly from the comfort of their own underground bunker home. RIP, news feeds.
Here's how it works: When you access your Facebook profile on a computer, you'll be prompted to share what's on your mind—and one of the options is Live Video.
This universal live access comes with new functionality that will make it easier for profiles to use additional streaming software or external hardware during computer broadcasts, which was previously only available to pages. This update will make it easier for everyday people to amp up their broadcasts, which is cool, sure—but we're not exactly clear on why your thought of the day broadcast needs studio-level production values.
Users will also be able to go live in groups, events, and pages they manage. Pissed off your friends viewed your event invitation but never RSVP'ed? Just queue up a livestream to drag them to show off all the fun they're missing out on.
There is one group that might welcome the new live expansion: gamers. Facebook is pushing for PC gamers to leave Twitch behind and stream their gameplay directly to their FB friends. The service will allow users to add on-screen graphics, titles, and overlays to their streams.
It's a nice touch to unlock the full suite of live capabilities to everyone with a Facebook profile, but we really hope all 1.86 billion users (or at least our most oversharing friends) don't take it as an invitation to start streaming their every thought. Remember, going live can be kind of lame if you don't have a good reason to, and sitting at home with your computer on your lap is more than likely not one of them.
If you're not too pumped about the ensuing flood of live broadcasts that are sure to fill up your notifications once this kicks off, you can take preventative action and mute them. Just follow this sequence: Settings > Notifications > On Facebook > Live Videos > Off.
Topics Facebook
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
