Well, that didn't take long. Snap's new concept, which puts the 'A.R.' in ART, has already got people thinking... and protesting.
And while it might seem premature, or even churlish, to argue over what might be virtually projected (or 'augmented') onto public and private spaces (especially when these AR concepts can only be seen through certain apps and platforms), there are some real issues to grapple with here, both in the UK and around the world.
For example, imagine an Olympic venue onto (and into) which all manner of fun stuff... and third party branding... is augmented. Not so fun for the International Olympics Committee perhaps.
And what about concerts, theatres and festivals?
How will venue owners, content creators and curators keep any degree of control over their spaces?
I predict that over the next 12 months, not only will experiential marketing become increasingly experimental, guerrilla marketing will enter a whole new dimension.
An artist has "vandalised" Snapchat's newest feature in protest against an "augmented reality corporate invasion". Sebastian Errazuriz protested by making a graffiti-covered replica of Koons' Balloon Dog sculpture in Central Park. Mark Graham, professor at the Oxford Internet Institute, said "we should be asking questions" about who controls a city's virtual space. "The issue is more just that, as ever more people experience their cities through a digital lens, everyone should feel they have a right to access, use, and create in those digital spaces."
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