Where did the ears and tongue come from? The history of Social Media filters
We all tried them at least once. The ears. The tongue. The super fun way to communicate with your friends and family. The one-says-it-all kind of pictures. Yes, we are talking about filters. The effects that keep us entertained during the boring times. The effects that really show that creativity has no boundaries. Where did they come from, though? You will find out in this short history of filters!
The history of filters
The history of engaging fun-to-play-with filters will take us to the very beginning of Snapchat. You know this app, the one that introduced us to the world of doggie ears. Yes, this one. As this article says, in 2011 an app that was originally supposed to be called Picaboo appeared in the App store. Little did we know that something this huge would come out of that.
Later in 2012 even Android users could download this app and the real boom of Snapchats was set up to begin. Snapchat and its fun way of connecting with people were growing. They were growing so much that even Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, wanted to buy Snapchat in 2013. We all know that if Facebook wants to buy something, it must be very good!
How it all continues...
In 2015 snapchat filters came out and it was a huge game changer. Engaging with this app became even more fun! Snapchat kept growing and working on its filters and other big players were more and more interested in acquiring this growing wonder. In 2016 Google wanted to buy Snapchat but is rejected. And when Google wants to buy something, we really better believe its reaaally good! Instagram did not want to be left out of this growing trend and launched Stories in 2016. IG started building blocks for their filters debut. It didn’t take long and they introduced AR filters in 2018. At first the platform allowing to create AR Instagram filters wasn’t open for everyone but they changed it in 2019. From this moment on anyone can download a SPARK AR kit and work on AR filters.
This was a big step in the world of Augmented Reality and filters in general. It allows basically anyone to become a creative filter creator.
It all brings us to 2020 when it doesn’t take much to get viral with your personal filters. Whether it is a filter that tells you what Harry Potter character you are or a filter that puts banana with duct tape on your face. It doesn’t matter, you can create literally anything and go out with it and let people try that too.
...and it is good for?
It also creates an amazing opportunity for businesses to get closer to their followers. They can now get their own personalised filters that will reflect their brand identity and make their social media more attractive. And, of course, fun for potential clients!
Do you have any questions regarding filters or would you love to have your own Instagram or Facebook filter? Shoot us a message!