New ‘Facebook Stories’ Unveils Inspiring Human Drama
August 1, 2012 | By David A. George | No Comments">No Comments
Facebook unveiled Facebook Stories on Thursday. A spokesman from Facebook said the site is dedicated “to celebrate the different stories that are coming out of Facebook.”
Closely resembling the intent behind Twitter Stories and Tumblr’s Storyboard, Facebook Stories takes the idea to an entirely new level.
“Mayank Sharma would probably tell you that going through meningitis is hell — if he could remember any of it.”
“Remembering” is the theme of the Facebook Stories premier issue, and can be found at facebookstories.com.
The video tells a moving story of a man named Mayank Sharma who lost his memory due to meningitis. Diagnosed at the age of 27, Mayank had lost every connection he ever had with his parents, brother, friends, and other family members – he didn’t even recognize his own face!
Browsing through his internet history, he saw a link for a website called Facebook. Using Facebook’s “People You May Know” tool, he started (re)building his memory by contacting old friends and literally asking them if he knew them. And piece by piece his life began to unfold before him.
Below the video, there are feature articles and videos relating to the memory topic. There are archive selections from The New Yorker, a follow-up to Mayank Sharma’s story, and some other articles and videos of related interest written by freelancers and employees at Facebook.
What’s the reason for the new site?
A Facebook spokesperson told Mashable that an “‘overwhelming outpouring of people’ e-mail the company’s press account to share how they’ve used the site “to leverage connections, deliver social value to their communities and work through adversity in their own lives. We wanted to build a place where they can live and be showcased and celebrated, and also to give them some context.”
Currently, people are the focus of this initiative, not brands – but, “we could see different evolutions,” according to Facebook. Facebook’s plan for Facebook Stories is to release a new story/issue each month, with an accompanying infographic related to each of the themes.
Readers, what do you think – do people care about this sort of thing? And what would happen if Facebook Stories started to feature businesses?
Meet David A. George
David A. George I'm a UX + Growth Marketer passionate about people, music, intelligent UX, Android, and breathing underwater. I'd love to connect with you on LinkedIn, Twitter, and on my website.
