Facebook released Lifestage on Friday, an iPhone app that is exclusively for those 21 years of age or below, that allows users to view clips about the lives of their friends and classmates. The app asks users to share visuals of various facets of their life, and compiles the data into a video biography that can be viewed by the user's friends, reported Tech Crunch. It also allows the user to block or report other users.
The app, created by 19-year-old product manager Michael Sayman, "unlocks" once 20 students from the user's school are on the app. Users above the age of 21 will be allowed to create profiles, but they will not be allowed to view other user profile videos. “Lifestage allows people to build a profile made up entirely of video fields. It allows them to show others who they are and to find out more about the people in their school community as well as meet new people," Sayman said.
A standalone app that does not require a Facebook account, Lifestage is seen as the social networking site's answer to Snapchat. Observers view it as an effort to touch base with young internet users.
According to a report by Mint, the app's features are in line with Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's wish to transform the website into a network that is more video-centric. Lifestage is Facebook's first app targeting the post-millennial generation, a big market for advertisers.
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