*The Smartphone or mini-computer that you always see everyone’s eyes glued to, is proving to be one incredibly powerful tool for justice when paired with apps from Facebook Live or Twitter’s Periscope.
Regular citizens-turned-eyewitness-reporters are popping up across the country and they are using their smartphones to capture everything from the recent deadly police shootings of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Alton Sterling in Louisiana, to the civil unrest in Ferguson, MO. to the sit-in staged by Democrats in the House of Representatives to protest stalled gun control legislation, to peaceful demonstrations and more.
From Facebook Live to  Periscope, social media is on to something special. However, these tragic videos can affect the viewers of them positively or negatively, depending on the individual and their personal circumstances and perspectives. Experts agree that there are advantages and disadvantages to this technology. Although this may be a great way to show the world what happens in real time, there may be long-term psychological repercussions to the viewers.
“We have a certain amount of mental, physical and emotional energy and when we watch live tragic things, day in and day out, it has a huge capacity to cause traumatic affects to our mental health,” says Dr. Laura Louis, an Atlanta-based, licensed Psychologist at Gifted Counseling (www.atlantacoupletherapy.com).
The recent back-to-back tragic events that ended up streaming live on social media may become the norm for breaking news. Citizen journalists or spectators are beating news agencies to breaking news stories that we normally may not have the opportunity to witness live. The news organizations end up utilizing the videos for their news coverage. Although police body cams have been utilized for approximately two years, personal body cams are quickly going into uncharted territory. Live videos could be a game changer when it comes to police relations here on out. Instead of harassing, mistreating citizens, or allowing situations to escalate into deadly situations on future traffic stops, police may apt to be on their best behavior.
Last week, Facebook users watched Diamond Reynold’s Facebook Live video of her boyfriend Philando Castile dying after being shot by a Minnesota Police. According to Reynolds, while reaching for his license, the Minnesota police shot him four or five times in his arm and shortly after Reynolds began broadcasting worldwide via Facebook while four million people would view ‘live’ what was unfolding before her very eyes. Millions more viewed via television.
“I began live streaming because I wanted people to know the truth,” Reynolds said in an interview. “I wanted it to go viral so the people could see,” she said. “I wanted everybody in the world to see what the police do.”
Blacks and other citizens being pulled over and harassed by police may finally be able to exhale and have a way to provide evidence when approached by law enforcement. Some seem to think the police will treat citizens better if they know the Smartphone cameras are rolling live footage to the world. While others say, it will be impossible to do this if you are alone and the police are demanding that you put your hands up.
Facebook Live allows anyone to capture a situation live and post and broadcast on Facebook in real time. It automatically records live streams and let people watch them again later.
The benefits of ‘Live’ video are the world has an opportunity to see firsthand what happen and decide whether it was deadly force, or was it justified or not? On the other hand, a family member may end up finding out about a loved one being injured or killed without being contacted first by the proper authorities, which happened to the Castile family. Supposedly, Black Lives Matter activists spotted Reynolds video on Facebook and shared it and the rest is history.
Live streaming or videos of horrible events such as the Philando Castile and Alton Sterling killings, a photograph of a dead man’s bleeding body on the cover of national publications or constantly plastering the dead body on the evening news can affect society as a whole. Lifetime trauma, emotional damage and fear are some of the psychological effects one may experience from watching live police stops or video of a man laying in a pool of blood. Things can even be worst for a child witnessing this madness.
“I have some conflicting feelings about this. All of these things (killings) have been happening for years. I’m concerned about the mental health of everyone,” says Dr. Louis.
She added, “I see a lot of people coming in for severe trauma and they are traumatized. Flashbacks, nightmares and vicarious trauma are a result of watching something traumatic. It’s a traumatic experience to watch or observe videos of killing. We as a society experience vicarious trauma when people are hit with these constant videos.”
Dr. Louis says adults and children may experience numbing, hyper vigilance, flashbacks and nightmares from viewing tragic events or live police killings. Louis’ suggested tips to help one deal with tragedies. “Take a break from social media, talk to a friend and rejuvenate,” she says.
Parents with children should be cautious in letting them watch traumatic news with killings.
“Depending on the developmental stage they are in, you can have children draw pictures to express their feelings. For older children, allow them to talk,” she says. “Limit the amount of exposure that your children have. Monitor the exposure children are having,” says Dr. Louis.
Randall Milner, 47, author and Regional Marketing Director has been using Facebook Live to stream his business events and products for five months. Like other newbies, he enjoys the app and the results. Milner also used Facebook Live to introduce his book, “Find Your Passion, Get More Out of Life” to the world.
“Facebook Live is actually pretty good. I like the interactive piece of it. It’s pretty simple. You go to the Facebook App like you are going to update your status and you choose ‘Live Video’ and the next screen says, ‘Go Live on Facebook’. It’s that simple,” says Milner.
He says he prefers Facebook Live over Periscope.
“I can personalize it more than Periscope. Periscope goes a lot faster. On Facebook, I can keep up with the questions.
Milner thinks the Facebook Live App is a great tool.
“You just never know if you’re being accosted. For safety values in itself, it’s a good thing. You might want to go live when you’re leaving the mall and walking to your car,” he says.
With instances like the Philando Castile case, he prefers making the video available for a shorter period of time.
“I would probably archive it so it’s not available for everybody to see. At some point, it needs to be removed. It just desensitizes people after awhile.”
He added, “It’s a great marketing tool. It’s a great interactive tool. I love the fact that it’s available.”
Dr. Laura Louis can be reached
via email: [email protected].
Telephone: 404-496-8070.
www.atlantacoupletherapy.com
Facebook.com: DrLaura Louis
EURweb associate journalist Angela P. Moore is based in the Atlanta area. A passionate writer-and-photographer-at-heart, she freelances for local and national magazines. She pens articles on celebrity profiles, art & music, business, travel, entertainment, health, self-help, and consumer-related issues. She is also the founder and owner of APM Public Relations. In the realization of her life-long passion for writing, Angela will release her debut book winter 2016. She can be reached via [email protected].
EUR BONUS COVERAGE
In the MSNBC video below, Joy Reid talks about how the tools of social media have become a new line of defense for black people in America, and how recurring stories of police killings of black men has a deleterious effect on how a person, especially a child, sees their role in society.
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