Facebook is redesigning its in-app camera for meet the era of augmented reality. Not the first in the business, Facebook is again copying its competitor, and that competitor is no others than Snapchat (again).
Snapchat is one of Facebook's competitor. While living inside the same sphere, the two couldn't be any different, and aren't competing in the same league. Facebook is far larger and is having a lot more influence in the social media industry, but Snapchat is still in many people's hearts.
Facebook may not be able to squash Snapchat. But by copying one of its best features, Facebook wants to take more of Snapchat's market to be its own.
The features were first introduced by Snapchat as animated selfie masks, overlaid graphics, geofilters and art-themed style transfer filters. Facebook calls it "the new camera", and it's accessible from the News Feed in Facebook's app.
First introduced in August 2016 during the Olympics, now the company is testing it by placing more Snapchat-esque features into it.
With some added innovations, Facebook wants that same thing, and it's now having it.
The feature began testing on October 28th, 2016 in Ireland. the company said that it will test more feature variations before rolling them out globally.
"We want to make visual sharing on Facebook fast, fun, and flexible," said Facebook's Product Manager Sachin Monga.
While the feature is indeed a copy of yet another Snapchat feature, what Facebook wants is to revitalize the original sharing capability of Facebook, which has declined over the year.
The new camera feature for Facebook is seen as the next iteration of camera. With Facebook's influence, this can be many people's first experience in augmented reality and selfie masks. This happened thanks to the company's acquisition of MSQRD.
Facebook wants the feature to complement the News Feed, not its primary attraction. This is seen as Facebook puts it in a more conservative space, out of sight off-screen next to the News Feed. But by making it quickly accessible with a swipe or tap of the Camera button, Facebook wants the feature to be there whenever its users are wanting some engaging mirror selfies.
Once the new feature is accessed, users can swipe down to see the different filters Facebook is providing. A tap on the Creative Tools button will allow the user to add more effects. And for last, the geofilters will stylize graphics describing where the users are.
While the features of the new camera are similar to Snapchat's, Facebook puts a bit of its own innovations into them. For example: they cover the screen in leaves so users can wave around with their arm. There is the little colored line patterns that users can disrupt with their movements.
After users are done playing with the feature, they can then post it to the News Feed like regular posts. The only difference is that the photos shot with the in-app camera will appear differently. Users can also share the pictures they've made to the new Direct private messaging feature. Here, they can create private conversations with someone they want without having other "friends" to comment.
The person the user wants to share with, can directly view and respond to the Direct message. If he/she doesn't respond within 24 hours, without using the replay, the conversation automatically disappears. This again, is similar to Snapchat's direct messaging feature.
More: How Many Of Your Social Media Friends Are Actually Your "Friends"?
If You Can't Beat Nor Buy Them, Copy Them
There is a saying that says: "If you can’t beat them, buy them". Snapchat is one of the competitors that probably gave Facebook a headache. With high engagement from its more targeted users, Snapchat is popular in its own way.
Facebook has tried to acquire Snapchat back in 2013, but founder and CEO Evan Spiegel turned down the offer. Because joining Snapchat isn't an option, since then, Facebook copied more than several Snapchat's features, and clone them as if they're its own.
Facebook's purpose to copy and launch the feature is to make users to share more visuals. Facebook wants more engagement, and there aren't many things better to get a higher engagement than introducing a feature that allows silly and funny things to be shared.
By having more feature, Facebook that is the most popular social media, is becoming a behemoth king sitting on its throne. While it still have the reasons to hold that position, the more features it introduces, the more fragmented it becomes.
For example, Facebook's Direct and Messenger are completely two different beings. While the strategy is clear: making them do their bests without confusing users, but it makes things at Facebook more complicated than they were.
The many ways to share and be on Facebook, makes experience to feel more redundant. Facebook has more than several products that overlap, and things aren't getting simpler as Facebook puts even more things into them.
That fact is a compliment for a free service by a giant company with plenty of resources to spend. With more users than practically anything on the internet, Facebook can introduce new features that people can't escape. The company can test, do R&D live, and won't have that much problem with revenues.
And this Snapchat-esque camera is just another way Facebook wants to be young again after more than a decade becoming king. Facebook may never be the new Snapchat: with its influence, it doesn't need to be as cool as the original. What it wants is to tease competitor's loyalists.
Further reading: Facebook, Instagram Vs. Snapchat: Copying To Eliminate The Threats