Justin Bieber’s New App Is for Selfies, Kind of Like All the Other Apps for Selfies
I was like selfie, selfie, selfie, ohhhhh (Photo: YouTube)
When celebs dip their perfectly pedicured toes into the tech world, the results often feel crass and unnecessary. Do we really need this "clean-living startup" from Jessica Alba? Does anyone read Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP in earnest? And why did we have to download a bad app to listen to Jay-Z's latest album?
But you can't get much more crass than Shots of Me, a selfie app backed by a big chunk of change from Justin Bieber. So why do we need this selfie app? "Immaturity fuels bullying and drama-filled comment reels," TechCrunch points out. "So RockLive has taken funding from Justin Bieber to solve these problems with Shots of Me, a self-portrait photo sharing iOS app that launches today."
We don't really see the connection between teen bullying and Shots of Me, although we'll admit the prospect of still more selfie software crowding the App Store puts us in a bullying mood.
To say the selfie market is saturated is an understatement. Instagram and Snapchat already provide more than enough avenues for selfie touch-ups and distribution. Other iOS apps that exist for the very same purpose include Selfie, Selfie.im, Selfie+, Selfie Swap, Selfie Pro, iSelfie, SelfieText and Selfie Make Calendar. So, good disruption, Biebs.
We can't even explain how Shots of Me works here, because it would be an insult to the intelligence of everyone involved. Just imagine how a selfie app might work, and Bob's your uncle.
The app doesn't appear to be innovative or interesting in any way. It doesn't even allow comments. But don't you worry, it will be a great success as soon as Mr. Bieber tweets it out to his 47 million followers.
