Facebook is borrowing from Snapchat … yet again

By Lulu Chang October 29, 2016

snapchat — dennizn/123RF

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Snapchat should be tickled pink at this point by Facebook’s multiple attempts to emulate its style. In its latest attempt to “innovate,” Facebook is once again “borrowing” from the much younger social media platform, this time testing out a new feature that lets users take selfies and record videos complete with filters, effects, and masks, which can be shared in your News Feed. And your clips disappear in 24 hours too (assuming no one responds).

Facebook isn’t making any attempts to hide this new Snapchat-esque addition either, placing it front and center in its main app for users in Ireland. Should it prove popular among the Irish populace, Zuckerberg may decide to go wide with the feature, introducing it to the social network’s 1.4 billion monthly users.

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While the feature has yet to adopt a formal name, it might as well be called Snapchat 2.0. To access it, users (in Ireland) need only to tap on the camera icon in the top left corner of the Facebook app, and voila! They’ll have access to all the features of the new content machine.

According to a Facebook spokesperson, the new camera was designed to address two trends Facebook saw across its user base — first, that people are sharing more photos and videos, and second, that they want to share them only with specific individuals. And as Chris Cox, Facebook’s product chief, noted earlier this week, the team is “very invested” in making the camera “a creative tool.” Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Facebook currently has any particularly creative or original ideas of its own when it comes to making said tool.

So if you’re a Snapchat user, things in Facebook are about to look very familiar. And if you’re not, well, consider yourself converted.

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Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

News

Scientists from top institutions call on Facebook to tackle misinformation

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In an open letter first reported by the Washington Post, a group of 143 scientists including more than 60 professors at top U.S. research institutions has called on Facebook to do more to prevent misinformation and hatred from spreading on its platform.

The letter said that social media platforms like Facebook "facilitate the spread of misinformation" and that, "The spread of news that is not vetted for factual accuracy leads to confusion and a mistrust of experts."

Social Media

How to get Snapchat filters in Zoom

Zoom video

If you're looking to add a little spice to your seemingly endless stream of Zoom meetings, or you just like to stand out from the crowd, you can add Snapchat filters, backgrounds, and lenses to your session. From turning yourself into a pickle, to walking in space, to trying on crazy hats, you'll have a lot of fun with the seemingly endless new options available to you. The process of setting up Zoom with Snapchat filters is pretty easy. Here's how to do it.

Getting started
Your first step is to install Snap Camera to your computer. Snap Camera was created by Snapchat's parent company, Snap Inc., to let you add cool backgrounds, filters, and lenses to any livestream or video chat, not just Zoom. Once you have it downloaded, all you need to do is to sign in to Zoom.
Starting a funny meeting

Social Media

How to use Snapchat filters

how to use snapchat filters ar

Since 2014, the social media app, Snapchat, has been updating the app with new, fun features. In addition to the drawing tool, users can apply a number of themed stickers to their snaps. Snapchat's most popular feature by far, though, is its filters. With Snapchat's face-detecting lens technology, you can make yourself old, add beauty filters, or give yourself cat ears and whiskers. The list of available filters goes on and on, with more added every day, especially now that users can create and upload their own. Filters are awesome, but they can seem confusing if you don't know how to use them. Luckily, we're here to show you!
Give permission
First things first: In order to access all of Snapchat's filters, you first need to enable them. Head to the app's settings (from the main viewfinder, tap your profile pic in the upper-left corner, followed by the gear icon in the upper-right corner), and then select Permissions (under Privacy). From there, enable the camera permissions. Some filters require geolocation to be enabled, so go ahead and turn that on in your phone's settings as well.
Using filters
Once everything is enabled, you're all ready to start filtering. Head back to the viewfinder and tap the screen. Your camera will take a second to adjust and map your surroundings, then a series of circles will appear to the right of the photo-taking button. Each of the circles contains a little preview of what the filter might be like; tap on one of these to select it (or swipe to scroll through several at once), and the app will apply the filter. The list of filters is refreshed daily, so if you can't find one you like, check back later (some popular choices, though, are semi-permanent).

Some filters are completely autonomous, while some require you to perform an action, like tapping on the screen or looking around in different directions. Snapchat is great at giving clear instructions on how to activate filters, and many of them are downright hilarious. For instance, one filter placed a chicken on the screen, which we could then drag around in 3D space; other filters filled the screen with digital bubbles, or little floating balloons with cat faces.
Lenses
Perhaps more popular and ubiquitous than Snapchat's area filters is the "lens" feature, which uses face detection technology to apply filters to users' faces via the phone's front "selfie" camera. The process here works the same way: Aim the camera at your face (it should be easy, since you'll be displayed on-screen), tap the screen, and wait for the list of filters to appear. Here, you'll find filters that warp your visage in creative ways and filters that add goofy aftereffects.