AR’s increasing entertainment possibility and its social effect

Ever since the worldwide cultural success of the augmented reality game, Pokémon GO, the world has kept a keen eye to the world of augmented reality (AR). Not only did Pokémon GO profoundly affect the way we see the bridge between digital and real, but it also caused people to get moving, active and many times through the process of mass herding of people all chasing Pokémon together healed the effects of social anxieties and depressions.

Entertainment using AR is a developing industry using newer tactics every day to keep us engaged. Entertainment based AR applications are primed for mass social media sharing and virality, and it’s social effects have a far and resounding reach.

“ARe” you not entertained?

It seems post-Pokemon GO craze, small and large developers, corporations and businesses have started to look at augmented reality in making their content more appealing, fun and addicting. Magic Leap a company which received a handsome sum of 542 million dollars from Google for AR development announced a partnership with the studio behind the Star Wars movies LucasFilm for experimenting in mixed reality technology.

Taking 3D glasses one step further, they are attempting to revolutionize how we watch and interact with film and with lifelike projections. Watching a movie in your living room, where your living room transforms into the setting of the movie is a novel idea that you could once only dream of. Making a newspaper have holographic elements to it and more visual imagery popping out from the pages can be created with the use of holographic lenses and AR glasses.

The social effect

Replicating the Pokemon GO effect is something extraordinarily desirable and sought after by all social media platforms. Utilizing AR, which is not as intrusive as say Virtual Reality or even some forms of mixed reality, social media can be spiced up across the board. Virtual stores via Facebook pages could make your interactivity experience more encompassing and authentic. It can help build more interest in anything you have to sell on any platform.

While Facebook has introduced 360 Degree video, its reception has been flat. AR takes video to a more stereotypical 3D viewing experience that is more visceral and lifelike.

The shareability of unique content is what social media platforms are after. More shares mean more ad revenue, and more ad revenue means a higher stock price, and so on. The infrastructure behind AR accelerates our need to share and use the platform offering a unique take on AR.

In apps itself, it can also cause us to go outdoors more often. Being able to overlay wondrous creatures and fun interactive games can lead to humans collaborating and networking more effectively.