Amazon Launches Its Own Social Media Platform Called Spark

In a world where practically every other tech giant is gunning for Facebook by launching its own social media platform, it’s not exactly surprising that Amazon joined in. The online retail giant just launched Spark, a social network that offers users the ability to shop for products and share their experiences with those items. It’s also glaringly similar to Pinterest or Instagram, as several publications have noted.

In the blog post by the company about the new service, Amazon emphasizes that Spark is basically a place where buyers could come together, hang out, and talk about their experiences regarding the retail giant. Customers can actually share their thoughts and communicate with regards to specific products on the main Amazon site via reviews, but it could hardly be considered streamlined.

“When you first visit Spark, you'll select a few interests and we’ll create a feed of personalized content from other Amazon customers with similar interests as you,” the post’s FAQ section reads. “Shop your feed by tapping on product links or photos with the shopping bag icon, or interact with people by commenting or smiling on their posts. To create a post, scroll to the top of your feed and share a product or story.”

As CNET has noted, the platform is quite similar to Instagram where users are encouraged to post images about products or experiences to share with others. Since Spark is a product of Amazon, it almost seems inevitable that something like it would be born, simply because the premise fits the plot so well.

After all, many shoppers of all walks of life would invariably have a desire to share their new purchases with others and engage in conversation about the products. Through Spark, they can do this with like-minded individuals on a platform that is specifically meant for such discussions, which removes any kind of stigma from the conversation.