Reflection on Social Media Case 11: OK Go Gravity Song

In this case, a music video by OKGO was accidently published on YouTube by S7 Airlines when it should have originally been posted to Facebook only. This mistake by the airline could have caused legal ramifications if OKGO had pressed charges. I know very little about the legality of these policies but as a consumer I think that this issue seemed very trivial. The video that was shared would have probably ended up on YouTube either way. It ended up being better publicity for the band anyway. That video was super cool, I don’t know why they wouldn’t have wanted to post it to as many sites as possible.  What I don’t understand is why Facebook or YouTube would ever be worried about certain videos being uploaded to their site. It’s not like either one would lose money or users because of an issue like this.

It seems like big social media moguls are fighting to maintain relevance in the world. Bothe Facebook and YouTube have launched streaming services similar to that of Netflix or Hulu. Facebook has created “Facebook Watch” that gives their views a number of shows that can only be accessed through Facebook. YouTube, known for it’s video sharing, is now doing something similar by launching their streaming service called “YouTube Red”. This monthly subscription offers more than just original TV shows but other additions to the app as well. These aspects of both Facebook and YouTube give the companies an edge to not only maintain and gain new users, but to make more money.

This case is a small issue in the grand scheme of things, but it raises questions about the motivation behind publishing the video on one site and not another. This also raises questions behind how far certain companies will go to ensure that they’re staying competitive and making money. It’s possible that I interpreted the issues of this case incorrectly, but these are the thoughts and questions that I thought about as I read it.