The App Made to Make You “Like” Facebook All Over Again
What don’t you “Like” about Facebook these days? The crowded homescreen? The constant changes? Lame status updates via forgotten “friends”? The fact that your mom is well-versed enough in the social network to comment on EVERY photo you’re tagged in?!
Just a day shy of its decade-long birthday, the company’s new app Paper might make you fall for Facebook all over again. Partially, because Paper doesn’t really look like Facebook, but might remind you of other news or social apps you’ve been frequenting in its place. Paper, now available to download for iOS, organizes and beautifies your news feed with a back-to-basics approach that whittles down the social network to updates, high res photos, albums and (okay, this part is new compared to a decade ago) news. Or, as they’re calling it, “storytelling.”
Remember those statuses and check-ins? Now they’re stories your friends are sharing that you can thumb through and Like or comment on at will. These stories appear “fullscreen and distraction free” — wait, so I don’t have invasive ads and invites to play games with people (I think?) I went to high school with assaulting my eyes at all time? I’m listening…
From themes like the more newsworthy “Headlines” to the Corgi GIF-friendlier “LOL,” you can customize your paper into sections. And, of course, you don’t just get to play editor but writer/publisher as well with the ability to craft your own stories to share in your friends’ Papers. This feature doesn’t seem like a revolutionary way to post to Facebook, but definitely a much more attractive one.
As pretty as Paper looks in the official website’s video tutorial, it will really be in the hands of the users to keep their updates poignant and their photo uploads looking even better than Instagram. Why, even the user on the official site flips past the type of status we’re used to seeing: “Ugh, don’t you hate when you bite into a chocolate chip cookie only to find out it’s oatmeal raisin?” to get to the photo album of someone’s beautiful backpacking trip.
As someone who uses Facebook as little as possible, Paper will encourage me to “poke” around on the network I once loved so. I’m curious whether this will take away from Twitter’s hold on breaking news or if it will change the way we use Facebook. To be continued…
We want to hear from YOU, Facebook friends! (And if you don’t already “Like” us like we LOVE you, click here to join the party!) What do you like, love and hate about Facebook? Will you download Paper? Share your thoughts with us below!
(Top photo h/t Business Insider)