Instagram Embraces Fun and Style, Introduces Filters to Live Videos and Stories, Mimicking Snapchat’s Approach

Instagram continues to push boundaries with the announcement of its latest feature: an additive filter toolset to upgrade your live videos and stories. Promising to inject more fun, style and individuality into your broadcasts, this roll-out is expected to hit global users soon.

Having implemented many of Snapchat’s key features in the past, Instagram continues the trend with the introduction of superimposed digital graphics into their platform. Imagine putting on virtual sunglasses, turning your nose into a cute dog’s snout, or sitting against a dramatically cool background – all these and more will be at your disposal, able to be changed on a whim to fit your desired mood or aesthetic for the day.

Playing on the ephemerality and instant gratification of social media usage, these additions to your live videos and stories will disappear after a 24-hour period, much like Snapchat’s stories. Snapchat first introduced the ‘Stories’ feature and the various photo filters, a concept which was successfully adopted and popularised by leading social media platforms. Facebook, for instance, incorporated similar features into major apps such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and now, Instagram.

According to Instagram’s official blog post, these features will be available to users worldwide in the upcoming weeks. To utilize the face filters in live videos, simply tap the face icon in the bottom right corner prior to, or during, your broadcast. You can experiment with various filters and even try the brand-new sunglasses filter, which is exclusively available in live videos for the coming week.

Upon concluding their live video, users will be presented with the option to either ‘share’ the video on their stories or remove it permanently from the app by clicking ‘delete’. Instagram continues to place control in the user’s hands, with the aim to cultivate more interactive and dynamic experiences on its platform.