Here’s how to get the new Pride rainbow features on Facebook and Instagram
Facebook and Instagram have launched new rainbow-inspired features – available all year – to celebrate Pride month in the US this June.
The new settings include “Pride Profile Frames” on Facebook, where users can choose rainbow frames – including multicoloured waves and concentric circles – to add to their profile picture.
Facebook users can also personalise their text posts with Pride-themed backgrounds, and the camera mode now has a variety of rainbow-inspired masks and effects.
There are Pride stickers available by clicking on the stickers icon, too.
In Facebook messenger, users can share Pride-themed filters, frames and stickers in the Messenger Camera.
But the social media platform has got rid of the popular rainbow reaction feature.
(Facebook)
“The LGBTQ community has always been a celebrated part of Facebook,” said Alex Schultz, vice president of growth at Facebook, on Friday.
“We know representation and having a community matters — whether that be LGBTQ people sharing photos that can change hearts and minds, or using our products, like Facebook Groups, to find a supportive network.”
(Facebook)
Schultz added: “We know that people in the LGBTQ community are supporting one another worldwide and year-round, which is why we’re making all of these effects available throughout the year.”
Meanwhile, on Instagram, the platform has created a series of stories showing five young figures in the LGBT community meeting their role models.
These include a video of performance artist Alok Vaid-Menon speaking to their role model drag icon Sasha Velour, and another video with Muslim activist Blair Imani and fitness instructor Bethany C. Meyers.
(Facebook)
The three other stories show Adam Eli talking to Hanne Gaby Odiele; Corey Maison with Ryan Stalvey; and Pidgeon Pagonis chatting to Johanna Toruño.
The social network has also launched a rainbow background in Type mode.
In Live mode, users can tap the heart to see a different colour of the rainbow, or hold it down to send a “shower of rainbow hearts” to viewers.
Instagram is also encouraging users to add the #Pride2018 hashtag to their posts, and to mention their LGBT role model using the hashtag #RoleModel.
“This Pride, we also encourage you to discover, recognize and connect with your own role models — and we’re rolling out a Pride rainbow version of our signature gradient in parts of Instagram to help you do it,” the social network said.
The new features on Facebook and Instagram are available all year, so users can enjoy the new settings during Pride celebrations throughout 2018.”
(Instagram)
Facebook will also be sharing stories from the LGBT community on its LGBTQ@Facebook page, and Instagram has paired up with GLAAD to identify the hashtags people from the LGBT community use.
Instagram said it will then apply a “rainbow gradient” to those hashtags throughout Pride month.
Last year, Facebook came under fire after the social media giant removed the rainbow reaction for users around the world, following the end of Pride month in the US.
The move was criticised by users because many pride parades across the world are celebrated on dates that fall outside June. Pride London is celebrated in July, and both Brighton Pride and Manchester Pride are in August.
Other prides, like those in Berlin and Cologne in Germany, are not celebrated in June.
