MSQRD.Me Adds Superb Video Selfie Effects To Messenger, WhatsApp, Slack, Viber…

“Arguably the greatest photographic trend of our time” – the BBC said about the humble selfie. Since photo selfies are a trend that everybody – and their grandma – is using, an even newer fad is becoming popular. Video selfies. To get the best video effects for yours, however, outside of Snapchat, you’ll need a special app. Its weird name? MSQRD.Me – and it’s been featured on the iPhone App Store!

Before we dive into why MSQRD.Me has become popular on at least a dozen App Stores around the world; we need to understand the ‘selfie’ phenomenon itself.

After all, ‘selfie’ was Oxford dictionary’s word of the year in 2013!

Why Do We Take Selfies At All?

As University College London neuroscientist James Kilner explains, that, while we become “experts” at recognising and interpreting other people’s face expressions during our life, we aren’t nearly as good at perceiving our expressions.

You would have a hard time accurately producing a facial expression that would look the same as in your selfie. Try it! Kilner goes even further, explaining how we actually perceive ourselves as younger and more attractive. How do selfies help?

Imagine being able to take (and retake) dozens of photos of yourself until you get to the one that, at least in your opinion, looks like you. Or at least, matches the perception that you have of yourself. Selfies!

According to research by Mita, Dermer and Knight, our love of selfies seems to be truly influenced by our need to control how we look. Their study states that we prefer to see an image of ourselves as we look in a mirror since those are the moments we have control of the way we look.

Video (Selfies) Killed The Radio Star

Either way, selfies are popular. And, as we’ve mentioned, ‘velfies’ (video selfies) are becoming even more popular… Apps such as Snapchat, as well as the popular Indian video selfie social network Frankly.Me, are using video selfies as a special format with which their users can communicate.

You hit record – and take a video selfie.

But is that it?

Of course not. Snapchat, for example, offers Lenses that are similar to effects for photos, such as the ones you can find in Facebook, Instagram and other photo sharing apps.

The difference: They’re animated.

The only caveat with Snapchat’s Lenses is that they are available on one social network – and these days we use at least a dozen of different ones. From Facebook and Twitter to WhatsApp and Viber, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to animate your video selfies for those social networks as well?

MSQRD.Me Frees Your Video Selfies!

MSQRD.Me frees your video selfies to any social network or app out there. After taking your selfie and adding one of a dozen effects, you can share the video on Facebook, Instagram or any app on your iPhone.

In my case, it can be a post on Facebook, a conversation in Facebook Messenger, Viber or WhatsApp or even a message to my colleagues on Slack! Twitter? Sure. Skype? Why not. Any app that supports posting videos will also support publishing your MSQRD.Me-enhanced video selfie.

Selfies are here to stay as a popular feature, although no one will probably be profiting from them any time soon. Just two months after trying to sell new Lenses for about $1 each, Snapchat announced that sales would cease.

MSQRD.Me might still have a business model; a wish to be acquired by one of the apps that sees its network populated by new, animated video selfies. Let’s, after all, not forget that it seems that Snapchat spent millions of dollars to acquire Looksery, a startup whose technology – according to Techcrunch – powers Snapchat’s lenses!

Who knows? What I know is that it’s time to take a selfie – and then animate it for free in the MSQRD.Me iPhone app. Have fun!

Thank you Apple😘 #msqrd pic.twitter.com/xzTNQXGvN2

— MSQRD (@msqrdme) February 4, 2016