Facebook's Slingshot is Now Basically Snapchat

Facebook launched Slingshot earlier this summer in an attempt to grab the attention of young people, who all have parents that love Facebook. The ephemeral photo-sharing app is very similar to something else that millennials love: Snapchat. The big difference is that Slingshot required users to send a picture before they could unlock a picture that was sent to them, hopefully resulting in an addictive sharing loop. Well, it turns out people didn't like being coerced, so now Facebook has dumped the requirement that people share to unlock their friend's photos. While that might please current Slingshot users, it basically removed what made the app distinctive from Snapchat. Don't worry, Facebook; the kids still love the company you bought for $1 billion, Instagram, which has recently released its own Bolt and Hyperlapse apps.

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Facebook Shuts Down and People Call 911

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--- Keith Wagstaff