After accidentally launching Slingshot earlier this month, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has now officially introduced it. The new app is similar to Snapchat and allows users to mass-share videos and photos with their friends, but there’s a catch. The only way recipients of photos and videos sent through Slingshot are able to view them is if they share something back.
Facebook wants lurkers to stop lurking
According to Slingshot‘s creators, they wanted to shift the balance of power on the Internet away from just a small percentage of them who do most of the sharing. Will Ruben, the product manager who worked on the app, hopes people who don’t usually share a lot will “feel comfortable” sharing through their new app. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) said it aims for people to stop being spectators and to share experiences back and forth with each other.
Like Snapchat, the photos and videos sent through Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s Slingshot app disappear automatically after the recipient views them. However, the social network emphasizes that Slingshot is different from competitors like Snapchat and Taptalk. Facebook said the purpose of Slingshot is to share with multiple people at a time instead of with just one other person. Also the photos and videos sent through the new app will last longer than the ones sent through Snapchat.
Facebook tries to attract more users
Slingshot will launch on iOS and Android devices today. Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has made it easy for users to share with anyone in their address books, even if they don’t actually use Facebook. The goal is obviously to create more Facebook and / or Instagram users. Slingshot users don’t even need a Facebook account to sign up. All they need is a phone number.
The new app is the second one from Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s new Creative Labs. The social network has said it is planning a full family of apps with different functionalities. The first app from Creative Labs was the newsreader app Paper.
