Facebook released a new app, but don't get too excited. Chances are Facebook doesn't think you're cool enough to use it.
It seems a lot like getting to sit at the popular table in high school, with Facebook limiting access to celebrities and high-profile businesses. (Via Paramount Pictures / "Mean Girls")
The new iOS app is called Facebook Mentions, and it's exclusively for people with verified accounts. (ViaFacebook / Lindsay Lohan)
The Verge reports the app will allow the upper crust to view their pages in a whole new way. It will show them who was talking about them and give them the option of holding "Q&A sessions with fans."
So it'll pretty much show them the things they want to see and filter out all those annoying quizzes and game requests. Kinda sounds like something the rest of us would like, right?
TechCrunch points out, "High profile members are key to the success of both Facebook and Twitter, and this tool actually makes a lot of sense in terms of helping those growth-generators become more involved with the platform."
In a press release Facebook said, "Nearly 800 million people are connected to public figures on Facebook, and interacting with athletes, musicians, actors and other influencers is an important part of their experience." (Via Facebook)
But how do social media sites decide who gets to be verified in the first place?
Facebook lists celebrities, journalists, government officials and popular brands and businesses as pages they look to verify. It recommends that page administrators link up their page to an official website if they would like to become verified.
Twitter's verification process recently ruffled William Shatner's feathers. He recently went on a Twitter tirade defending his belief that verification should be reserved for his fellow celebrities, not the social media managers of the world. Those tweets have since been deleted. (ViaGetty Images, Twitter / @WilliamShatner)
Getting verified is actually a big goal for some people. This Mashable editor wrote about what a major career milestone it was for him to become verified on social media.
Administrators of verified pages request access to the app simply by downloading the app and then logging in. Right now, Facebook Mentions is just available in the U.S., but Facebook says it hopes to expand globally soon.
