Facebook launches video-only app for those aged 21 or under

Video may have killed the radio star but will it also replace text-based messaging?

Facebook launches video-only app for those aged 21 or under

For some time, Facebook has been advising marketers to embrace the explosion in the popularity of online video. “We see a world that is video first with video at the heart of all of our apps and services,” said Mark Zuckerberg, the company’s CEO, off the back of the company’s most recent earnings call. And its recent launch of Lifestage — a video-based iPhone app aimed at young people up to the age of 21 — is further evidence Facebook is betting big on video.

Rather than posting messages or photos, Lifestage users can shoot and share videos depicting their likes, dislikes, friends, pets or dance moves, which the app can turn into a video profile. The app is designed to tap into the desire of young people to chronicle their experiences visually.

The app was developed by Michael Sayman, the 19-year-old product manager of Facebook, who explained his thinking process to TechCrunch: “What if I figured out a way to take Facebook from 2004 and bring it to 2016? What if every field in your profile was a full video?”

Lifestage comes on the back of similar product developments from Facebook, including live stream video and immersive 360° video. Whether or not it becomes a Snapchat rival or a platform for Facebook to test the waters with video, it’s another indication of the central role video plays in the way young people communicate.

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Maria Barr
Maria Barr
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