Slingshot App vs. Snapchat
Facebook's Slingshot App Is Snapchat — With a Catch
Facebook introduced yet another app today — Slingshot, a self-destructing photo-sharing platform. Wait a minute. Isn't that Snapchat?
Indeed, Facebook's new app is also an express lane for sharing short-lived media. Its name is even pretty similar to Snapchat's, with, you know, a few letters subbed in between. But there is one defining twist: instead of tap-and-holding to view the photo or video, the recipient must send back something before the media is revealed.
Sounds like it could be a lot of fun, but it also sounds like a lot of work. When we, users of social media, "sling" personal moments into the ether, we expect only minimal returns — a "like," a comment, and, maybe if our friends are extraclever, a photo reply. But we've never required a random, full-blown update from a recipient in exchange for our own. Slingshot is an interesting concept because it forces friends to tell you what they're up to. Gone are the days of passive Facebook stalking.
So will the gamified instant photo-sharing Slingshot become a social entity of its own? Or is this just another Snapchat copycat? Read on to see the two go head to head, then download the free app for iOS and Android now.
Side by Side
How the Two Are the Same
How Slingshot Is Different
This Is How You Flick Away Photos
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