Selfies have become quite the global phenomenon, and guess which social network decided it would be time to capitalize on that? After beta-testing the Slingshot app in the US, Facebook decided now would be a good time to launch it globally.
It’s not as if people could’ve downloaded the .APK or the .ipa files from the Web and installed them on their Android devices, and respectively on their iPhones. Facebook tested Slingshot in the US for just a week, and after the overwhelming reactions they got from the rest of the world (or so they say), they decided to launch it globally.
Here’s what the company had to say in a blog post that was published earlier this week:
“Since we launched last week, we’ve heard from lots of people around the world who are excited to give Slingshot a try. Starting today, we’re expanding our initial launch and making Slingshot available internationally!
You can find Slingshot in app stores around the world for iPhone (iOS7) and Android (Jelly Bean and KitKat) at http://sling.me/download.
This past week we’ve seen people share such terrific shots, face mashes and drawings. We can’t wait for what happens next!”
An obvious question would be: “Why name your app Slingshot?” Are they trying to somehow metaphorize the effect that funny pictures have on the Internet? Are they referring to sending things (in this particular case, selfies) over long distances? And why did they choose some pixels as the logo for this app? Nowadays, we’re striving for crystal clear pictures, not for selfies where the can’t discern the protagonist from the background.
Google had a thing for shareable selfies, or shelfies, but luckily for all of us, that was nothing more than just an April Fools’ joke. Facebook, on the other hand, is determined to make shareable selfies (come to think of it, now I really think that Google should’ve coined the term) yet another addictive piece of software that people will get bored of in the not-so-distant future (just see what most teenagers think about Facebook nowadays, and Snowden didn’t even need to get involved for this to happen).
I guess we’ll have to wait and see if this app revs up to become as popular as its main competitor, Snapchat. The latter definitely has a more intuitive name, though.
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