There’s a new app headed our way. It’s Hipe. And it could be all hype — or maybe the next big thing (lest any of us forget that Facebook was once five lonely guys sitting in their dorm rooms at Harvard).
Hipe is a new mobile messaging app (a free download on iTunes and Google Play) that lets users share GIFs, videos, or image overlays with a short amount of text. Because Hipe friends have only 99 seconds to reply, the app has the appeal of a game. Without a reply, the message disappears … 96, 97, 98 … gone.
The developer says the countdown feature is designed to reduce the “awkward silences” that can happen with standard back-and-forths.
“Of course, that’s not entirely true, as Hipe is only shifting the awkward silence from the middle of the conversation to the beginning,” says TechCrunch. “That is, users who don’t have time to respond will likely just leave the message sitting there unread until they’re able to chat.”
It’s a new trick from a world of magicians trying to find the magic apps that resonates with users. In other words — a shtick that sticks.
Hipe isn’t the only magician. Take Facebook’s new photo-sharing app, called Slingshot. The app requires a user to send a photo before he can see one sent to him — a process purposely designed to generate irresistible mutual interest.
“Hipe can not only help you to increase the number of openings, but it makes it easier to start the conversation and answer your friends,” explained company representative Ekaterina Gogoladze.
Gogoladze also noted that the ability to reply with images or GIFs can aid the flow of conversation, “since sometimes friends just want to check in with each other, but may not have much to actually say.”
And on that note … 96 .. 97 .. 98 …
