Meta announced that Instagram users will have access to 3D avatars, taking another step towards the metaverse. In addition, avatars for Facebook and Messenger are getting an update. The new features are coming first to users residing in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
With the new options it is possible to present your virtual self on the mentioned platforms. This can be done in stickers, profile pictures and more. The avatars will have new face shapes, as well as access to cochlear implants, hearing aids and wheelchairs. That adds to the inclusiveness.
Instagram takes step into metaverse
That’s what Aigerim Shorman, responsible for avatars and identity at Meta, writes in a recently published blog post. The avatars should strengthen your presence in Meta’s vision of the metaverse. Shorman describes this as “an interconnected digital world, bridging AR, VR, smartphones and computers.”
Because the technology is so broad (and a bit vague), it’s important that as many platforms as possible can join. Meta is a company with many different products, so it includes Instagram, Facebook and the Oculus VR headset. Mark Zuckerburg even calls the metaverse a “priority for the company.”
The importance of representation and identity
Shorman further describes in her blog that she understands that you want to present yourself differently on different platforms. Therefore, it is possible to create three different avatars. One for Facebook and Messenger, one for Instagram and one for Oculus VR. This way you present yourself everywhere in the way you want.
That said, you can also set your avatar the same everywhere. If you have the Accounts Center set up, your avatar is the same everywhere. And if you make a change in one place, Meta will make the change everywhere. So it’s just what you want and what you need.