Pokémon Go has proven the massive impact that augmented reality can achieve when cooking with community-building ingredients.
At the very core of any augmented reality thinking, there is a social value-proposal that makes AR worth playing with. However, most of the commentators have focused on the technological part for the last decade; the democratization of AR production has therefore not really meant a drastic boom of usage from 2009 onwards. At the very core of AR’s success in 2016 entails a strong bond with pop culture, a rise of AR services and an acceleration of smartphones as the main social interface between human beings.
The New Writing of Pop Culture is at Stake
A range of tipping points have emerged when it comes to the new ways of discovering and accessing digital content. Augmented Reality without AR technology can actually occur. For example, the controversial campaign for “The Man in the High Castle”, or the numerous pranks part of a successful series have all demonstrated that content is no longer a “destination place” (like watching TV, buying a book etc.) but actually a social feed communities refer to, on an on-going basis, in real life.
This example proves that if content is no longer a destination but a social essence for people, it’s therefore fairly natural that new forms of content emerge, where communities are not just an audience but the true actors and actresses.
Something new in the experience, not in the technology
In the case of Pokémon Go, the app hasn’t really created something new in AR. Considering PS Vita’s core features, it’s even lagging in terms of functionality. However, by simplifying the access to the pop phenomenon and by offering an experience on the most popular devices and smartphones, Niantic tapped into an existing critical mass instead of trying to build up a community first and then hoping they’ll shape new usages.
AR does not create critical masses: it might crystalize interest
Other AR businesses have proven successful when they tap into an existing community – think about people with gluten intolerance, they’re among the most active users of AR apps in supermarkets! The main difference is that Pokémon Go doesn’t solve a problem. They just play into an interest and create a social experience that people are ready to trust and bring forward.
People Talk to Other People Through Digital Technology
Despite the harsh (and somehow unjustified) criticisms against Pokémon Go players, the app brings light on a very obvious and often forgotten fact: people meet online or through a digital platform but… also run real-life activities.
Social media precedents
Think about Eventbrite or Tinder – the digital game is only worth it when an encounter or experience in the tangible world occurs. In the case of Pokémon Go, users don’t only play the app as a pastime, but to have a goal, or a social activity with friends, relatives or… perfect strangers. Pokéstop locations are strong opportunities to meet new people and it is a great occasion to reconsider commuting (very functional and problem solving) into a nice wandering.
It does not mean that the AR object has to go mainstream. In the case of Pokémon Go,even if the number of users may drop, it will still be relevant for a worldwide niche audience, by fueling clusters of people, who may be ready to spend more on broader platforms. Pokémon Go can actually demonstrate a very profitable business.
Digital as the new conversation
Haters might hate this, but most conversations are now maintained or initiated via Messenger apps. In social media, most of the analysis trying to focus on online conversations have focused on the functional necessity (I need this, can you make it happen?) or on the one-to-one relationships, trying to explain what can go viral (and public) or not.
However, online conversations are both a way to maintain relationships but also to feed one’s passion, solve problems and create / handle transactions. Conversations are now expressed in so many different ways beyond words. Think about the success of Musical.ly or Snapchat: the context, the pretext, the frequency, the look and feel, but also the silence and absence are all reshaping the way communities cluster and discover that they actually exist. Pokémon Go offers a new set of conversations – from discovering others, cities and subcultures, to starting solidarities through upcoming features (i.e.: private messaging feature rolling out in the coming versions). Furthermore, it offers a way for people to dive into a new entertainment experiences which are more complex than Angry Birds, but easier to enter than e-sports.
AR is probably not going to create its own vertical like VR, with its new headsets and the booming industry around it. More interestingly, AR is injecting its features in all social interfaces’ related industries, from hospitality to health. This adds an extra layer to the services, to make them flawless.
So here’s an interesting conclusion: AR is not changing the “reality” but opening with fresh eyes what used to be hidden or sacrificed on behalf of a problem-solving culture.
