AR and VR in Social Media

Virtual reality has been a buzzword for many years that meant different things to different people. Recently, big companies are investing heavily in new applications that make these high concept technologies more mainstream. VR, which is a completely immersive environment has become more accessible through Facebook's Oculus headsets and gaming platform. Augmented reality, which is the concept of enhancing a real world experience with digital elements, has gotten a big boost from smartphone manufacturers and app developers to deliver unique interactive experiences utilizing devices that many people are already carrying and using everyday. Apple for instance, has added a LiDAR sensor to it's latest iPhones and iPads to aid in allowing the devices to better detect the environment around you to enhance AR experiences in apps. Naturally, as these technologies are becoming increasingly accessible, social media companies are taking notice and looking for ways they can integrate their own VR/AR experiences to help increase platform adoption and loyalty. Instagram and Snapchat are already using AR for photo and video filters. Trend analysts expect that many platforms will continue to experiment with offering users and brands the ability explore this kind of deeply immersive content.