Snapchat's Metaverse Avatars: See Your Digital Self

Snapchat's New Avatar Lens: A Glimpse into the Metaverse

Snapchat has launched a new Avatar lens, an AR filter that transforms users' appearances to resemble characters from The Sims. Essentially, it offers a preview of how one might look within a metaverse environment.

Accessing and Experiencing the Lens

To utilize this filter, simply open the Snapchat camera and scan the QR code available on Snapchat’s official website. The result is a remarkably smoothed-out version of the user’s skin, notably devoid of imperfections like freckles or acne.

A Recurring Viral Trend

While a single Snapchat lens might not typically garner significant attention, this release represents a continuation of a long-standing, intermittent viral phenomenon. Historical trends suggest it will likely gain traction and appear on platforms like TikTok.

Past Successes with Similar Lenses

In August 2020, the Cartoon Face lens allowed users to apply a “Disney” aesthetic to their pets, leading to the hashtag #disneydog accumulating over 40.9 million views on TikTok.

Snapchat further capitalized on this trend in December of the same year with the release of the Cartoon lens, which provided even more realistic cartoon renderings of human faces.

Continuous Refinement and Viral Potential

The app consistently introduces refined iterations of this concept, each with the potential to go viral. This demonstrates a predictable pattern in user engagement.

Recent Lens Performance

The Cartoon Style 3D lens, released in June of this year, generated an impressive 2.8 billion impressions within its first week. Now, the Avatar lens extends this effect to clothing as well as facial features.

Looking Ahead: The Evolution of AR Filters

One can anticipate further developments, potentially including lenses that alter the surrounding environment to resemble creations from platforms like Horizon Worlds.

Snapchat's AR Ecosystem

Earlier this month, Snapchat hosted Lens Fest, a celebration of its augmented reality technology. The company revealed that over 250,000 lens creators, hailing from more than 200 countries, have collectively produced 2.5 million lenses.

These lenses have been viewed more than 3.5 trillion times. Furthermore, Snapchat’s Spotlight platform has awarded $250 million to 12,000 creators for their content.

Over 65% of Spotlight submissions incorporate Snapchat’s creative tools or lenses.

AR vs. VR in the Metaverse

Companies such as Niantic and Snapchat believe that augmented reality is a more suitable foundation for building the metaverse than virtual reality. Even Meta, a proponent of VR, recognizes the potential of AR to create more realistic metaverse representations.

The Snapchat Avatar filter, while presenting an idealized version of oneself, feels more personalized than a typical Meta Horizon avatar.

The Disorienting Effect of Idealized Avatars

Seeing oneself through these filters can be unsettling. The Snapchat avatar presents a perfected image – flawlessly shaped eyebrows and fuller lips – despite the user wearing no makeup.

Avatars in AR vs. VR

In virtual reality, avatars are essential for representation, as users would otherwise be invisible. Companies like Ready Player Me, Spatial, and Genies are focused on crafting virtual personas.

However, in augmented reality, the goal is to enhance the real world. Avatars may be less necessary, and perhaps this is beneficial, as presenting only idealized versions of ourselves online can be problematic.