If you’re a high school student who thinks Facebook is so old school and corny and that Snapchat is the bomb, you are the target market of this new standalone app called Lifestage from, wait for it, Facebook. It says it speaks the language of this generation, which isn’t just photos or emojis or GIFs, but rather, video. However, this new product wasn’t conceptualized or engineered by just any developer or product manager within the company, but rather by someone who has been out of high school for just a couple of years.
Lifestage was developed by Michael Sayman, a 19-year-old product prodigy who previously created photo-charades app 4Snaps before being snapped up by Facebook as soon as he graduated from high school. And his basis for this product is what Facebook was originally about, which is connecting people from the same school. Lifestage is a social network specifically made for high school students or those below 21 years old to connect with their schoolmates that have the same interest as theirs.
Instead of creating your profile through text, you actually fill in the “biography quiz” by taking videos, either of yourself or the things around you. You create your video profile by posting your happy face, sad face, likes, dislikes, best friend, best dance moves, etc. Your school will only be “unlocked” if there are more than 20 sign ups already so students will bug their classmates to join the social network as well. Sayman said that this is what Facebook would have looked like in the beginning if it started now in the age of videos.
Of course there is the danger that some creep who is definitely not 21 and below will try to get in the network, so Facebook needs to strengthen Lifestage’s security. Right now there is a facility to block and report suspicious members but if more people actually use the app, it might eventually become a concern. Oh, and sorry people, it’s only iOS for now but we can probably expect an Android release soon.
SOURCE: Facebook
