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This article was published on March 14, 2016

Samsung ‘Waffle’ may be the worst social media concept we’ve seen yet


Samsung ‘Waffle’ may be the worst social media concept we’ve seen yet

On the heels of closing one of its poorly received media efforts, Samsung is now trying to get into another hard-to-crack medium with a new social media app named Waffle.

Using a familiar grid layout, Samsung hopes to connect its users via the same way they’re already connecting. Here’s how Samsung describes Waffle:

Waffle, a new content-sharing application, hopes to change that. Boasting a user interface that resembles the grids on a waffle (hence the name), the app enables users to create a new feed of expandable content. They can also add to existing related content, as if contributing to a communal graffiti wall.

For example, a travel enthusiast might start a feed with a photograph taken on her latest trip to Tokyo. Then, others might add, say, a digital doodle of a sumo wrestler, a quote about traveling or an image of some beautifully plated sushi. In this way, Waffle offers a new, differentiated service that illustrates multiple points of view to generate a collaborative story.

Once you post a picture, others in your social circle can post additional images around it, creating a ‘waffle’ of socialization. It’s seemingly endless, too, so I hope you’re hungry.

Waffle is essentially same thing you can get from established social services, but possibly (probably?) limited to Samsung users. That always works well.

It may be a different visualization of social media, but ultimately offers nothing new.

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It’s easy to see how a lack of socialization will frustrate users, though. If you post something and it doesn’t ‘waffle,’ that could be more discouraging than nobody favoriting a tweet. Similarly, there’s plenty of room for trolling, only this time visual instead of textual.

Samsung appears to be waffling on their own concept, too. Speaking to The Verge, a Samsung spokesperson said they may shelve Waffle if it doesn’t show enough promise over the summer.

Let’s hope they do.

Waffle [Samsung]

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