This year, with one of snapchats update came what is now referred to as a "Snapchat story".
Now you can send the video of your cat, not only to one of your friends, but to all of your contacts.
A few months after snapchat stories were introduced, a "live feed" was added to snapchat. This live feed is pretty much a snapchat feed from various places or for various things that you can watch from your app. The makers of snapchat set it up for various popular events or places and if you happen to be in the area, you can take your own picture/video and then post it to the feed. Then I can see what life is like in Delhi while laying in bed or watch a college football game on the toilet.
I give snapchat so much credit for doing this. I cannot even begin to describe how much this feature has opened my eyes to the world out there. This is definitely one of the true benefits of media.
I am now able to be exposed to new cultures, customs, places, and people instantly. Literally with the touch of a button.
Without snapchat I probably wouldn't have even heard about the earthquake in Nepal. Half the places on the snapchat live feed I have had to look up on a map to figure out where it was. I already had a long list of everywhere I want to travel, now its even longer.
I completely agree with this. The 'live feeds" show us what life is like for people in places all over the world like Riyadh, Doha, Hong Kong, and Sydney. We can see the daily life and culture of all of these people. Through programs like this, people become more acquainted with the world without ever leaving their homes. This is awesome! The more people understand other cultures, the less ethnocentric they are. Little steps like "live feeds" bring people from all around the world together.
ReplyDeleteI disagree that all normal teens have a Snapchat. I consider myself a normal teen and yet I refuse to get a Snapchat. However, I do agree that the live feed is a great addition. This definitely widens our perspectives on the world because we can actually observe what it is like in other parts of the world. This combats ignorance and stereotypes in the world as people gain knowledge about others.
ReplyDeleteThis situation with Nepal actually shows the extent of usefulness that the live feed can provide. Because the news about the earthquake has reached so many people in a short time, more people are likely to help out and donate to the cause. Not only does Snapchat connect people, but it can also save lives.
I don't know how much we should believe what we see on snapchat stories from Delhi, Bangladesh, or anywhere else. We need to keep in mind that Snapchat, not the citizens of Delhi, choose what goes on each story. The idea that snapchat is accurately portraying "real life" in other countries shouldn't be so easily accepted. Also, people in Delhi who can afford phones aren't going to be great examples of "real life." I think it's a bit unfortunate that we end up relying on snapchat for world news, but maybe it's better to know what's going on then to remain ignorant. All I'm saying is that we shouldn't accept everything we see on snapchat as the truth. Take the time to ask yourself how much of what you see was picked for a reason. Keep in mind that someone, somewhere, chose each picture on that Delhi story. They chose it for a reason.
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