In its early years, Facebook used to be a fun platform for the teens. Then parents started getting on it then brands discovered it to be the next big thing in advertisements. Facebook started feeling a bit too crowded and highly monitored for the teens who just want to post their crazy stuff without having their parents being all up in their business.
Little by little, the teens started looking for alternative avenues to go do their crazy things; away from the hawk eyes of the grownups. They flocked to Snapchat and the likes. Facebook, not known for being one to lose a battle, just mimicked the very features teens found appealing on Snapchat and pasted it to their photo-centric app, Instagram. That came in the form of Instagram Stories and live filters.
As if that is not enough, Facebook has created a unique social app just for the teens; that people older than 22 years will not be able to see. Dubbed Lifestage, this social app revolves around teens sharing videos and pictures, and the best part; adults are not invited to the party. That is the cardinal rule.
How to sign up for Lifestage
You must not be 22 years and above! This is strictly a teens-only party, so stay out if your 22 years plus. For those less than 22 years old, you will be asked to take videos and selfies depicting your likes, dislikes, and facial expressions.
The sign-up process will also ask you for videos of your BFF, perhaps a video of you and BFF busting a move. Take a pic to two of your desserts and the rest of the things teens typically find amusing to do on social media. Then the app will create a video automatically during your sign up. It will be the first post you have once your account is set up.
After sign up, it will automatically bring up profiles of all other teens from your school, your surrounding; just like how Facebook started off.
Sayman was recruited by Facebook soon after he finished high school. He came under Mark Zuckerberg radar because he has been coding apps from the age of 13. Zuckerberg personally reached out to him and made him part of his team.
In a statement, Sayman had this to say about Lifestage. It “looks back at the days of Facebook from 2004 and explores what can be done if we went back and turned the crank all the way forward to 2016 with video-first.”
This new social network perfectly aligns with Zuckerberg’s ambition of having a video-first platform. The app is already available to teens with iOS devices. There is no word yet when it will be available on Android and other platforms. If you are less than 22-years-old and would like to try out Lifestage, click here to download it from iTunes.