Facebook Extending Its Life

Feb. 4th, 2004, is the date that Facebook started and in just over a decade has flourished and seemed to have gained majority market share worldwide. For a social networking site, Facebook has done a wonderful job of avoiding the down slope of its overall lifestyle. It is from the fear of dying out that Facebook is attempting to extend its life further by experimenting in the virtual reality field. 

The developers at Facebook are conceiving an app that would allow for the user to record and or watch videos in a 360-degree dimension. Granted the apps current status is in the early stages of its development, this would be a game changer and I believe Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, knows it as well. He has been quoted on calling virtual reality the next "computer platform" after mobile devices. 

It is clear that the CEO is interested in this new market, but what does the company have to say about it? Although Facebook refuses to comment on the app and its status, sometimes a verbal comment is not necessary. Over the past few years, Facebook bought out Oculus, which is an industry leader in all things virtual reality. 

Now why would a social networking site buy a virtual reality based company and reply no comment about its intentions? One does not have to have a Ph.D to make the logical connection on what Facebooks intentions will be. I feel that Facebook should own up to on developing this app and start pushing that it will be the world leader in this market as well. Facebook and the newly acquired Oculus should start marketing the current virtual reality technology to the trendsetters. How might Facebook market the technology you may ask? Who would have guessed Facebook could use itself to market itself, crazy right? 

Outside of Facebooks move, other platforms are already gaining active presence within the virtual reality field. Google introduced tools that allow for recording these videos to be easier. YouTube is supporting the videos and there is already a following of more than 400,000 subscribers to its #360Video channel. Facebook needs get its foot in the door now and make developing this app a priority. I believe virtual reality is the next thing and by Facebook saying no comment to its inquiries really makes me believe that it will be late to the metaphorical party. Lastly, I would like to thank Deppa Seetharaman and Orr Hirschauge for the information they provided within their online article posted on the Wall Street Journal. 

Until next time,

Matt