LinkedIn is not exactly known for being fun or engaging or anything but a network you kind of have to be on in certain industries in order to network with people and find a job. But LinkedIn refuses to believe that’s true and is trying to add more fun features: today, that includes video filters, just like Snapchat and Instagram, except they’re extremely not fun and more “I’m a person who enjoys writing business advice posts on Medium in my free time.”
Unlike Instagram and Snapchat, which let you add GIFs, face effects, goofy stickers, and filters that change the whole screen, LinkedIn’s idea of “filters” is just some stickers that probably came off a stock art site. There are only three at launch: a red “ON THE AIR” sign, which I guess means you’re going to be speaking professionally during your video; a sticker that says “WORK HIGH FIVE,” which seems like a nice reminder that you and a colleague are not actually friends; and another one that says “SIDE HU$TLE,” which, yeah. LinkedIn is also adding the ability to place styled text on top of videos.
LinkedIn launched its video feature in August last year, allowing people to record or upload clips and then post them to their feed. In October, it began testing filters for specific events, which is very similar to how Snapchat rolled out its stickers years ago, starting with individual locations and moments and eventually growing it into something much bigger and accessible to everyone, including advertisers.