Facebook’s built-in livestream feature has become a key function to their platform, and now, as TechCrunch reports, Facebook will be restructuring their timeline algorithm to accommodate it. In an attempt to catch up with Twitter’s use of Periscope, Facebook will now prioritize livestreams higher on the Facebook timeline. For Twitter users, followers are immediately notified whenever someone is livestreaming, and the live feed is shown at the top of the of the Twitter feed. Now, the same will happen to Facebook users whenever their friends are livestreaming. Facebook’s timeline usually shows posts with the most activity, so this change seems like an apparent attempt to drive the nail in the struggling Twitter’s coffin.
This prioritization of livestream is just another chapter in a long narrative of Facebook and Twitter copying each other in order to gain bigger marketshare. Twitter has taken the timeline and the longer character limit of Facebook in order appeal to the masses, while Facebook is trying to capitalize on livestream and their new ‘Moments’ feature in order to gain a bigger share of the niche markets that Twitter has cemented. This may end up working in Facebook’s favor, as Twitter’s financial situation may prevent them making new innovations.