Another day, another new way for Metaverse to test the ideas of other social apps on their own platform.
Meta Platform (META) has started testing similar to Twitch The live streaming service Super. This comes on the heels of Facebook and Instagram adding “Reels” to their platforms as a way to compete with TikTok’s revolutionary short videos.
and Meta (META) seems to be trying to absorb every The app functions to be the social media version of John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” and it’s not the only internet giant that’s been growing its service.
Google’s (GOOGL) YouTube made a TikTok-like clip short videos called YouTube Shorts. In fact, Google itself is tweaking its search engine to allow more short video responses to appear in searches. Snapchat (SNAP) is testing new premium features, while breakout platform TikTok is looking to expand into music Realm
Meanwhile, spontaneous selfie app BeReal is also gaining popularity among Gen Z users for its filter-free approach. The app’s premise is simple: encourage authentic, organic social media posts by prompting users to take random photos of their everyday life at the prompt times. This new way of interacting appears to be disrupting the performative aspect of social media influence.
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Instagram is testing a “candid” service
Meta seems curious about adding its own The impromptu photo feature of its social image platform Instagram. According to web developer Alessandro Paluzzi, Meta’s developers are currently testing something called a “Frank Challenge.”
The in-app feature will prompt you to spontaneously take a photo of yourself wherever you are and whatever you are doing. The feature sounds a lot like what the BeReal is all about, and pops up at random times of the day, giving you two minutes to snap a photo. The cue uses both your front-facing camera and inward-facing camera to paint a complete portrait of your behavior.
As with other ideas in the Meta beta phase, no one knows for sure whether the service will fit into Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s larger vision for the Metaverse. The developers of Meta may use this feature for other reasons. But based on the company’s past behavior, it shouldn’t be surprising to see unfiltered quick pictures on the Meta platform in the future.
Thanks to Facebook, Meta still has the most used social media platform. Facebook itself has had nearly 20 years to make sure it becomes a ubiquitous social presence, and that’s not going away anytime soon. But Zuck’s Metaverse dreams may be a little bigger than users are now expecting.
Reality Labs, a design firm that aims to turn this dream into a (virtual) reality, has lost $2.8 million in the past year. The focus on growing the Metaverse may have resulted in the first revenue decline in the company’s history last quarter. The loss was also impacted by lower ad buying, which led to lower revenue across all social media platforms.
