FaceApp challenge: Here’s why people are posting photos of what they’ll look like old
Is your Instagram timeline full of people sharing photos of what they’ll look like as senior citizens? It’s the latest viral craze, and it’s called the FaceApp challenge.
» RELATED: The bottle cap challenge is the latest internet craze
Within the past several days, folks have been peeking into the future thanks to a mobile photo-editing app called FaceApp, which was created by a Russian startup.
The app features an aging filter that uses artificial intelligence to add a few extra pounds, some wrinkles and a bunch of gray hairs to your pictures.
Many, including celebrities, have participated, uploading photos of their old selves to Twitter and Instagram.
Lil Nas X, Ludacris, the Jonas Brothers, Ari Lennox, Lena Waithe and many more have taken on the challenge.
When you take a trip to the Year 3000. pic.twitter.com/O9Dxpwj6ex
— Jonas Brothers (@jonasbrothers) July 16, 2019
A few were surprised by how realistic the images looked.
does everyone doing the faceapp aging thing first think oh this is neat as they giggle and share and then immediately fall into silent contemplation about mortality or is it just me
— 에픽하이 타블로 | Tablo of Epik High (@blobyblo) July 17, 2019
I want yall know these face app photos looking real realistic
— Celestial 💫 (@dr_tinytitan) July 17, 2019
Seeing these aging filters is wild cuz benjiman button came out in 2008 and more than a decade later its a filter on a phone. crazy
— the daze (@ILOVETHEDAZE) July 16, 2019
And others joked that the trend was taking over their social media feeds. The hashtag #FaceAppChallenge was a trending topic on Twitter Wednesday.
Nobody:
— Micah (@Micah_Not_Micha) July 17, 2019
My timeline: pic.twitter.com/7M3mjDz2rI
When you enter on social networks and you're the only one who doesn’t use #faceappchallenge pic.twitter.com/Q6hMx5jZvw
— Ｇｈａｎｉ~ 🇵🇰🇩🇪 (@IchBinGhani) July 16, 2019
Current state of Social Media #FaceApp #FaceAppChallenge pic.twitter.com/oh82G79wBE
— Stera (@SteraClemond) July 17, 2019
While users have expressed concern about the privacy policy, which says FaceApp “cannot guarantee that information on the service may not be accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed,” the company recently addressed the fears.
"We'd like to comment on one of the most common concerns: all pictures from the gallery are uploaded to our servers after a user grants access to the photos," the brand said in a statement to TechCrunch. "We don't do that. We upload only a photo selected for editing. You can quickly check this with any of network sniffing tools available on the internet."
» RELATED: Twitter is fuming over FaceApp's 'racist' skin-lightening filter
About the Author
Najja Parker is a multimedia journalist covering Black culture for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is an engaging on-air talent, who has served as a host for the newsroom’s special projects and events, such as the movie premiere of “The South Got Something To Say,” a documentary chronicling the rise of Atlanta hip-hop.
