Whether you’re in the path of totality for the eclipse or not you’re sure to want to share it with friends and family, or experience it with others around the country. NASA is going to have a livestream and hashtags are sure to populate Twitter but Snapchat is getting in on the eclipse as well.
The social media app will introduce a number of features for Monday’s eclipse to help users share their experiences during eclipse and feel connected to others as well. The photo and video sharing app allows users to send ephemeral content or post to their “story” and that content expires after 24 hours.
Snapchat is making the app more personalized and unique to the day of the eclipse by adding a map, filters, stickers and an “Our Story.” All of these features will be available to all Snap users on the day of the eclipse. The use of social media during the eclipse will be an unprecedented experience because during the last total solar eclipse in the United States, smart phones and social media didn’t exist. This will be the first time everyone will be able to share their experiences this quickly and easily via videos and photos.
One of the app’s newest additions, the Snap Map will be be adapted for the eclipse. Users who zoom out while in the app to open the map will see friends across the country represented on the map via their Actionmojis. Remember, your friends can only see you on the Snap Map if you have your location enabled, the default is that your Actionmoji isn’t shown. As the eclipse moves over users in the path of totality their Actionmoji will change to represent eclipse viewing, once it passes the icon will go back to normal.
During the total solar eclipse Snap Map will show users in the path of totality with Actionmojis watching the eclipse.
There will also be new geofilters introduced to the app on Monday, some will be exclusive to the path of totality and other will be available for users around the country. The feature sayings like “Greetings from the path of totality,” “Throwing shade,” and “Solar eclipse.” In addition to the filters Snapchat is adding stickers as well. A few of them show the Earth in eclipse glasses, with the sun behind it and some have similar phrases to those that the filters have.
This is one of the geofilters that will be available in the path of totality on the day of the total solar eclipse.
If you don’t have some of these features where you are you can check the “Our Story” Snapchat will be curating starting Sunday and running through the eclipse Monday. The story will feature videos and photos from users across the country as well as NASA and the Department of Interior. On Sunday, the story will primarily be about the preparations leading up to the eclipse and then on Monday it will be about the eclipse itself and the viewings happening across the country.
These stickers will be available during the total solar eclipse.
Instagram launched three stickers on Friday for the eclipse for users to put in their stories or posts on their page. The stickers feature the phrase “Eclipse 2017” and cute photos of the moon, sun and Earth. You can access them by swiping up while on a photo, they’ll be at the top of the stickers page.