Relationships2 min(s) read
Instagram has introduced a new feature that makes it easier to blur people out of stories, but some users say it has created an awkward problem for couples.
The platform's new pixel effect allows users to pixelate a person or an object in a photo by using a text prompt instead of manually placing a sticker over someone's face or scribbling across an image.
While there are plenty of useful reasons to use it, some people have realized that it could make the already complicated art of the relationship "soft launch" even easier.
A soft launch is a way of revealing that you are dating someone without actually showing who they are.
It could mean posting a hand in the corner of an image, shoes underneath a restaurant table, or a carefully cropped hand during a vacation.
Now, users have the option of showing their partner, while making them hard to identify.
The app announced the Meta AI feature in a post, writing: "Soft launching? We got you."
"Use the Pixel effect in Stories and edit the prompt to call out what you want pixelated - like “the person on the right.” Swipe to see the exact wording we used to try it yourself."
The relationship angle divided many users, with some arguing that blurring a partner could feel more insulting than simply not posting them at all.
"Unless you post progressive unblurring in back to back stories as a whimsical bit, its just a humiliation ritual," one user said.
Another chimed in: "Imagine being in a relationship and your girl says lets take a photo next day you see it on her Instagram and your face is blurred."
A third said: "If you are going to blur someone then don’t post the person in the first place."
A fourth slammed: "Leveraging 'having a bf is embarrassing' culture to push AI features is low."
"Don’t post at all! If you have to blur someone just to 'soft launch' the relationship, maybe the relationship doesn’t need to be on Instagram in the first place. Instagram and its weird updates nobody asked for," one more added.
But not everyone thought the tool was a disaster, as some people said it could be helpful for parents who don't want their children appearing online.
The same principle could apply to friends, family, or strangers who happen to be in the background of a photo.
Would you use the feature to soft-launch your relationship?
