AR stickers on Instagram – what would it look like?
Looks like we’ll find out soon, with Instagram testing new stickers and AR text in Stories, which would allow you to place 3D objects in real-world scenes.
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As you can see in these examples, shared by the app finder Alessandro PaluzziInstagram is developing a range of AR assets for Instagram Stories, which will essentially add animated digital objects that you can overlay on your physical space.
They resemble Snapchat’s World Lenses, launched in 2017.
As you can see in this clip, Snapchat’s World Lenses allow you to add virtual objects into your real-world scenes, which seems to be how Instagram’s AR stickers will also interact in physical space. Snapchat also added a free AR drawing tool in 2019, which offers similar functionality.
So it’s not a revolutionary idea, per se, because Snap implemented similar tools several years ago, but they weren’t available to Instagram’s billions of users before, which is, in itself, a big step forward.
Instagram is also looking to incorporate another AR element, with its new NFT display options also including a “View in AR” feature.
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As Meta explains:
“For the first time, you will be able to view the 2D NFTs you own anywhere with mobile AR. And when you do, you’ll feel a whole new sense of pride in owning these digital assets, because you’ll be able to see and share them in the physical places you find yourself every day.”
Well, sort of. They’re obviously not really there, in physical space, and you’ll only be able to see your AR NFTs through the Instagram camera. But it could add another perspective to digital artwork and provide more context for how that object might appear, say, in your living room, as shown here.
Which then leads to the next step:
“While we’re starting with simple AR viewing and sharing, this will be a key step towards enabling future fully AR and 3D immersive NFTs, like virtual objects and props, sculptures, clothing, and more.””
So the broader vision is that these initial AR elements on IG will take people to the next level of engagement with digital elements, which will then help usher in its broader metaverse experiences, where virtual objects will play a bigger role in the way you interact. .
The AR elements in the stories are another part of that, which is basically Meta’s effort to bring those elements into the mainstream – so while this might seem like a small, isolated addition, it will play a role in the plan more wide to transport users to the metaverse experience.
Instagram has yet to provide details on the full rollout of its AR elements, with the ‘View in AR’ option only available for ‘a small number of Instagram creators and collectors’. But you can expect to see more of that soon, as Meta continues to look for new ways to merge its current audience into the metaverse space.
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