The social media company Facebook is reportedly working on a meme app called LOL, in an effort to bring teens back to its ailing platform. According to sources on TechCrunch, Facebook has been working on the app for months now. The app pulls content from Facebook News Feed posts by top meme pages and is planned to “contain funny videos and GIF-like clips that are divided into categories such as For You, Animals, Fails, and Pranks.”
The app sounds like a 9Gag dupe so far, but Facebook also seems to have gotten some inspiration from Snapchat, specifically its Discover feature. The LOL app will be calling it ‘Dailies’, which contain video collections with the same theme. Users can interact with these videos simply by using reaction buttons such as Funny, Alright, and Not Funny. And like any other social media app, they will also get the option to share and upload their own content.
Facebook touts the app as a “home for memes.” Currently, it’s in its early beta stages, with a limited pool of testers. However, it’s not looking good so far, as some have told TechCrunch that “the app feels cringey” and “the content is sometimes weeks old.”
Sadly, although we all appreciate the effort, it may not be enough to bring back younger users who are now switching towards more photo and video-friendly sites. As Digital Trends sums the situation up perfectly, “This paints Facebook as an adult trying to be young and hip, but failing at it.”
