All Mode
Porn is all over Twitter, is outright banned from Instagram, was recently cleaned off Tumblr, and still proves damn hard to find on Facebook. There’s another social media entity that’s struggling to maintain control over its apparently ultra-horny user base: Snapchat, the hugely popular origin of all those cute selfies adorned with animated puppy ears and unicorn horns. Not only is Snapchat serving social media addicts a robust platform on which to communicate in all the accepted ways, but it’s also pushing Augmented Reality (AR) harder than almost anyone else in the field.
Image: Snapchat Filters and Lenses in use. (appstofollow.com)
Frames, Filters and Lenses – Oh My!
From its very first add-on Filters and Frames to its newer Lenses, Snap is providing creators with tools like Lens Studio to add their own AR creations to the plethora already available through Snapchat. Allowing users to change or augment their faces, along with almost anything else they snap, Lenses kicked Snapchat into the next phase of instant AV communication but soon hit upon an entirely predictable controversy.
Naughty America’s AR Lens creation was removed by the Snap team in May 2019, kicking off what will no doubt be a string of controversial adult-oriented uses of this new AR outlet. Snapchat prohibits “obscene language or imagery, depictions of nudity, sex acts, or profanity,” but while Naughty America maintained that its Lens was only for private use. Enabling users to undress and place a pornstar of their choice in a real-world environment, take pictures, and share with friends. Naughty America’s AR effort was nevertheless removed from the Snapchat Lens store, prompting NA chiefs to suggest Snapchat users start producing their own adult Lenses.
Care for some virtual company? (Image: Naughty America)
Gotta Seduce ’em All
Image: Spectacles by Snap Inc.
Snapchat isn’t content to keep AR in digital form and continues to develop its Spectacles hardware with the goal of bringing Snapchat itself into near-permanent use with the advanced AR wearable device. Equipped with depth-sensing cameras, Spectacles allows users to integrate Snapchat and its AR tools into everyday life in a more casual, intuitive way.
Image: Pokémon Go
Multiplayer games and tools relying on AR, along with Spectacles continued evolution, should keep Snapchat among the most interesting and exciting AR developers for some time. Once AR has become as well integrated into other social tools, expect some providers to adopt a more porn-friendly approach than the majors do now. Not only will this mean highly customizable fantasy porn right there in your pocket, but likely a geolocation app similar to Pokémon Go, only geared towards sexual interactions virtual, augmented, or entirely real, all enabled by AR.
I really want to get my hands on and try out Spectacles. Sounds awesome.