He Said: Anthony Mattariello
Social media is something that is always changing. New media outlets are constantly coming into the spotlight and others are falling out.
The classic example of a social media fading away is MySpace. Back in the early 2000s, MySpace was the place to be.
I specifically remember my page. I would take hours out of the day just rearranging my page. I remember thinking to myself that I would be able to look back on it and add to it for the rest of my life.
Little did I know that in only a couple of years, MySpace would be an Internet ghost town. The point is that social media is an adapt or die world.
Only few have been able to adapt to this fast paced world, which includes Facebook, Instagram and most importantly Snapchat. Snapchat is the most important because well, that’s what this article is about.
Snapchat was created back in 2011 and came with quite the backlash. I remember when the app first came out and everyone’s parents were blabbing about how kids used this app to send each other naughty images.
After that whole debacle, I realized that Snapchat could actually be used for something fun and entertaining.
Who knew that you could actually send funny pictures to other people?
One of the biggest enhancements to the app was the addition of Snapchat filters. The filters put funny things around your face and it works by analyzing the features of your face to then applying a filter to it.
The most prime example of the filter is the puppy dog. This filter puts a pair of doggy ears on your head and you have the option to stick out a little doggy tongue.
Now, some people might feel that this filter is too basic. While I will agree that the filter is wildly over used, I am still all for the filter.
There’s nothing more that I enjoy than seeing some pictures of girls with a doggy filter after I come home from a night of drinking. Even if it’s a man with a doggy face, that filter just steals my wool.
Although the filter has been associated being basic, it’s not the only one. Another example of a basic filter is the crown of flowers. This one I don’t handle as much as the dog one.
Yeah, you probably look good with the filter on, but you also look half fake.
The fact remains that the primary purpose of the filters are to entertain people. I have far more fun with the app now that I can pretend I’m a pirate and scream obscenities at people.
For a while, my favorite filter was the one where you can face swap with your friends. I had a good month of fun face swapping with everyone I knew.
As if that wasn’t enough, Snapchat came out with a filter in which you can face swap with any of your pictures that are saved on your phone.
As long as Snapchat keeps up with releasing more filters I will continue to use the app, and have a blast doing so.
She Said: Giovanna Gatto
It is 2003 and the location is a small town carnival. The smell of stale popcorn fills the air and thirsty tweens loiter outside of the classic fun house ride. Upon entrance there are puffs of air from random directions and a long line of adolescents waiting to see how goofy they look in the morphing mirrors.
13 years later, we are doing to the same thing, but without mirrors and traveling carnivals. Instead, we are using selfie cameras and snapchat filters.
During the fun house era, the basic person would take a seemingly skinny photo of themselves that sported this fancy mirror that was designed to force their appearance to be just that. Today, these basic and over used photos are seen in the classic puppy snapchat filter.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am a big fan of pups. In fact, I spent the first 12 years of my life wishing for one on on my birthday. (Mom if you are reading this, I will take a golden cockapoo please).
However, adorable as the filter may be, your basic and unoriginal snapchat choice has proven to be anything but interesting. I get it, you look cute as a pup. You think it makes you look just as adorable as any old cockapoo.
News flash, you are not an adorable pup. In fact you are probably a naive youth who thinks the filter is so cute.
The puppy filter is just the beginning of snapchat trends. Snapchat filters have brought awe amongst the social media world. They are arguably one of the main reasons that snapchat is still kicking. As an avid user, I do find enjoyment in how quickly snapchat filters update and go in and out of fashion.
As for most things in life, I am proud supporter of the underdog. Thus, I advise all snapchat users to slide past the puppy filter and try something new. Personally, I believe that some of the most underrated filters are the best ones that snapchat has created.
If you are looking for a frequent snapchatter who utilizes the filters to their funniest potential, check out Josh Peck on snapchat.
He used to have viral vine videos (may the social media platform rest in peace) that would endlessly loop throughout the internet. Yet, now his claim to fame has surpassed his stardom on Nickelodeon, it took a left past vine and it now has found a new home in snapchat.
One viral bit that Josh Peck created was about why life was hard being toast. As he sported the underrated toast filter, he went on to say, “No one just wants to eat toast, everyone has to put something on it.” Now, this is just one of his hilarious comments as he uses the toast snapchat filter.
Aside from celebrity endorsement, all users should step out of their comfort zone and try on a new filter. Throw away the flower crown and give yourself a big nose.
Filters have the underlying connotation that they are supposed to make you look better or prettier. Yet, my favorite snapchat filters are the ones that make the features you do not like big and the ones you do like small. Because while a filter may make you look cute and feel good, it is a filter on snapchat. Our world is self obsessed with the perfection of appearance.
Snapchat does stray from the classic fun house mentality. It makes you big, it makes you small. It has a fascinating way to force you too look at yourself differently. In conclusion, that is my challenge to the world.
Take a silly selfie and giggle at your big nose. It is healthy to find amusement in flaws, so embrace the lesser used filters and be original. But for heavens sake, stop using the puppy filter.
