On Thursday, Facebook introduced a new feature coming to its Messenger app. It is called Messenger Day, and it allows users to post snippets of their day in the form of either videos or pictures that disappear after 24 hours online.
Many see this last addition to Facebook Messenger as a direct response to Snapchat Stories, a feature that has been around on that platform since 2013. It offers practically the same core functions that made Snap’s so popular.
Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, introduced a couple of weeks back another version of this feature on the messaging app. WhatsApp Status can be either videos or photos, customizable with emojis and text, and they vanish after a day as well.
How to share moments using Messenger Day
Users who want to start sharing moments of their day on the Facebook Messenger app first need to make sure they have the latest updated version.
Once you are confident, you are up to speed, launch the app and then you just got to tap the camera icon or the “Add to your day” button on the home screen. The camera image resembles a sun now to commemorate the release of the feature.
Using either option, users can take pictures or shoot short videos. There are three buttons with which to customize your Messenger Day: an ‘Aa’ icon for text, a smiley face for art and frames, and a doodle line for drawings.
After modifying your selfie, photo, or video, you are almost done. You can choose to save the file to your device before posting it, for which you will have to click the right arrow in the bottom corner of the screen.
Media you add to your Messenger Day will be viewable for 24 hours, after which it will disappear forever. You can also select content and messages you receive on chats and add them to your day.
Why is vanishing content so popular in social media?
“THE WAY PEOPLE WANT TO SHARE TODAY IS DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS FIVE OR TEN YEARS AGO. COMMUNICATION IS BECOMING MORE VISUAL THAN EVER AND PEOPLE WANT LIGHTWEIGHT, EASY WAYS TO SHARE THROUGHOUT THE DAY,” said Facebook.
This statement is truer than ever when looking at the meteoric rise of Snapchat, and the success of similar features introduced to WhatsApp and Instagram in recent months.
People, particularly young people, want to share media without a hassle and with no compromises. Platforms like WhatsApp’s Status and Stories on Instagram and Snapchat offer them the only windows to do such a thing in today’s connected world.
Source: Facebook
