The new feature, which appears to be called “background”, allows you to select an image from your camera roll and use it as the backdrop for the Stories Camera. As seen in the screenshot shared by Wong, your actual surroundings are replaced by the selected image.
The overall feel of the feature is similar to a green screen. However, the beta version is only limited to static images. Nonetheless, the feature looks fairly impressive. The end result looks pretty seamless — there aren’t any weird lines or gaps between the edge of Wong’s face and the photo backdrop.
Instagram is clearly looking for new ways to spice up its app and now they are diving deeper into augmented reality. Given the popularity of AR filters, it’s not difficult to imagine influencers finding all sorts of creative ways to use this new “Background” feature.
In an attempt to make the platform more user-friendly, particularly for lengthier tweets, these small, light gray and white in color icons prevent additional clutter from forming in the already text-heavy interface. If the original poster replies somewhere in the thread, their tweet will feature a small microphone icon next to their profile picture. Other tweets from those mentioned in the original tweet or replies from existing followers will be labelled with the at (@) symbol and a small person icon with a checkmark by it, respectively.
As seen from the “twttr”, this latest minor change is part of a larger series of things Twitter is tweaking to make its service simpler and more approachable. While these are fun and useful additions, there remains debate around the necessity of these changes, given the platform’s simple core value proposition of publishing a public status update and replying to others who have posted. Not as obvious however, is the platform’s ongoing battle with problems typical of an unmoderated public forum – which may be driving its challenges around user growth.
Practice a New Language By Chatting With People on Twitch
Each streamer is part of its Global Ambassador Program, a network of global volunteers that helps Duolingo host events and advance towards its causes. Launching with DuoLingo’s core languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and Arabic, the company promises to add more language and streamers in the near future.
