Back in April, the annual Facebook F8 conference revealed a heap of new and exciting features heading our way. Although mainly aimed at developers, CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcements are set to have huge implications for users. From apps to virtual reality, let’s take a deeper look into what’s going to happen in the world of social media this year…
Camera filters
We all love a good filter and let’s face it, animated effects for your selfies have become a huge part of modern messaging ever since Snapchat released the puppy-dog filter. However, Facebook is now attempting to join the party by creating two new tools dubbed ‘Frame Studio’ and ‘AR Studio’. These nifty apps enable developers to create augmented reality (AR) content more easily, with Frame Studio focusing on 2D overlays such as borders and frames, whilst AR Studio mimics Snapchat’s face filters, allowing developers to create 3D masks that respond to facial movements. The aim of the applications is to make AR content easier to create for developers by eliminating writing code.
Virtual Reality
Hot on the heels of the virtual reality trend is ‘Facebook Spaces’ – a new virtual reality app that enables you to create an avatar that looks just like you. The app lets you hang out in a VR world with friends by using a virtual reality headset. With features including being able to draw in the air with a virtual marker, we are confident that this new feature will transform the way we stay connected across the globe.
Music and Games in Messenger
Messenger is getting a makeover in the hope of making it one of the most advanced platforms available to the public. Improvements include new stories and other content becoming available in group chats via ‘Chat Extensions’, as well as the introduction of games and music onto the platform to create a more interactive experience while chatting with friends. For the music lovers, there are also plans for messenger to sync with Apple Music – perfect for those all-important music taste debates!
M Suggest
You have probably never heard of Facebook’s virtual assistant M, but you will do soon! Although most people usually turn to Siri to lend a helping hand, Facebook is aiming to improve M’s capabilities which they say will get smarter over time. M currently has the capacity to join chats to help users pay for things, find information, and suggest responses to messages. One of the latest features is ‘M Suggest’ which will listen to conversations surrounding food and restaurants and will speak up to offer food recommendations nearby, forever solving the age old argument of where to go out for dinner!
360 video
Hoping to boost the use of its 360-degree videos Facebook has unveiled plans for two new cameras designed intentionally to capture spherical video. The circular cameras have as many as 24 individual lenses capable of capturing photos and video. The Surround360 units are both large and expensive, so they are unlikely to be used for personal use just yet, but it’s defiantly likely that people will begin to rent them for production purposes to create some cool imagery.
Which Facebook features are you most looking forward to? Tweet us at @ProhibitionPR

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