Snap’s new friendship time capsule allows you to see what your friendship will look like in the future, in response to findings from its Friendship Report 2020
Snap’s second global Friendship study involved interviews with 30,000 people across 16 countries, focusing on how COVID-19 pandemic has impacted friendship.
In response, Snapchat launched a fun new feature called The Friendship Time Capsule, which allows friends that can’t be together in person, to create new shared memories through AR on Snapchat. It uses machine learning to allow friends to get a glimpse of their friendship in different scenarios in the future.
Celebs including Aussie pop-band Sheppard tried the new feature.
Amy, Emma and Geroge Sheppard said: “We’ve always been such big fans of Snapchat and this year we have experienced first hand its ability to help us connect and collaborate with one another as siblings and bandmates.
“We’ve found that Snapchat is a digital platform where we can be the unfiltered and more ‘real’ versions of ourselves with our friends.
“It’s so easy to send quick video messages to each other on Snapchat.
“Whether it’s silly faces and dog ears to try or even a quick video of a new musical idea, Snapchat is where we can chat and let off some steam.”
Amy, Emma and Geroge Sheppard
MORE ABOUT SNAP’S FRIENDSHIP REPORT
Almost three quarters of friends say they are using online channels to communicate more than they would have before COVID-19 and for many those conversations have been deeper, rather than focusing on surface-level topics. It appears digital communications are key to staying in touch when we’re apart, with a vast majority saying that they have helped friends maintain their relationship, regardless of age.
Even though there’s been an uptick in outreach to friends, COVID-19 has also led to loneliness for some. Two-thirds of those we surveyed said they’ve felt lonely since the pandemic started – 12% higher than pre-COVID-19.
Australian friendship expert and founder of URStrong Dana Kerford highlights the importance of friendship during these uncertain times and says that “friendship really is at the heart of well-being.
“All of the science around wellbeing shows us that relationships are absolutely fundamental, they are a basic need.”
Dana Kerford
While friendships definitely do change, research shows that Snapchatters who often communicate visually have been able to maintain their friendships during the pandemic.
Friendship researcher Donya Alinejad describes the importance of visual communication as creating “co-presence” which results in “a feeling of being together when you’re actually physically distant.” Feeling as though we’re actually together is important “for a whole host of reasons,” Alinejad says, particularly “for those who are in need of or require a kind of emotional support.”
Looking at data from prior to the pandemic, Snap found that the single event most likely to strengthen a friendship, was taking a vacation together .
Without being able to do that now, Snap wanted to create a way to support its community, and imitate this through AR, allowing Snapchatters to share positive thoughts with their friends about where they will go together in the future.
How do we find our way back to close friends? While the number one thing people would like to send to their friends would be a photo of them together, we also like to share a laugh together. In fact a third of us think that sending a funny meme or GIF would be the best way to start a conversation, making it the second most preferred way to start a conversation.
How does Snapchat’s friendship time capsule work?
The Friendship Time Capsule allows you to share silly images of you and a friend in outlandish locations and at different ages, the camera company hopes to bridge the gap for those that have lost touch.
To use the new feature, simply open up the Snapchat camera and select The Friendship Time Capsule on the carousel.
If it isn’t there, hover your camera over this snapcode and hold your finger on it.
Then, take a selfie, select a year, then send it to your chosen friend.
When your friend does the same, the new feature will put you both into a series of scenarios together (including visiting the Moon, and Mars!) from today up to 2120.
It also uses Snap’s advanced machine learning technology to age you and your friend up, depending on the year you have chosen.
