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However, the tech giant is working on yet another secret weapon to expand its ruling over all social media networks, apps and platforms. Recent rumors suggest that Facebook’s most brilliant, with Mark Zuckerberg to lead them, are working on their own video / photo messaging app. The Slingshot app, Snapchathot”s direct competitor, is said to be released sometimes later this month.
The Slingshot app has a definite leverage over Snapchat, as is it said to have the ability to make videos and pictures disappear after only one view. This is the promise Snapchat didn’t keep and now Facebook is playing this card as fast as it can in order to bury its competitor once and for all. However, Slingshot’s alleged feature also raises an important question: if the app allows only one view of a photo or a short video, does this mean that the reply option doesn’t exist? And if there is no reply, how can this app be considered a “social media” tool? And if the content vanishes in the thin air without giving the receiver the opportunity to offer feedback, doesn’t this leave a lot of room for inappropriate content to be sent with mischievous purposes ? Maybe we are way ahead of ourselves, but we will look deeper into the matters.
Back to the Slingshot app and Facebook’s attempts to create a competitive product to swing back at Snapchat, tech columnists say that
It is expected that unlike Facebook’s other features, Slingshot will be a standalone app, completely usable without the Facebook app; though presumably not usable without a Facebook account. While Snapchat requires only a phone number for an activated account, Facebook will push the primary users of this service (teens) to sign up with their Facebook accounts. Facebook has been slipping in the teenage demographic for some time, and this could be an interesting ploy to win them back. On the other hand, a Facebook connection can hinder the anonymity and assumed ephemeral aspect of the app.
All these are just rumors and assumptions, as no official statement related to the Slingshot app has been released yet. One interesting hypothesis is related to the Slingshot’s visuals, a field where Instagram’s effects might play an important role. Until we find out more, stay tuned to the news!
