[ot-caption title=”A Pine Crest Student posing with one of the many Snapchat filters. (via, Julia Morrissey/Freshman)”]

Driven by technology-crazed users, Snapchat is one of the many softwares that has helped to revolutionize today’s social media world.  From geotags to disappearing pictures, Snapchat provides users with an effortless and stress-free social media platform.  The app was started at Stanford by three then college kids, Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown.  Initially, Snapchat was named Picaboo and had about 127 users. However, it later took off at schools all over California and eventually expanded across the nation.  The rest is history.

The recent update (Version 9.15.1.0, to be specific) has enabled users to access a new and exciting feature.  That is a new filter, of sorts.  When most people think of filters, they think of the color-altering of an image.  But, this new filter adds an animation to your face.  All you have to do to retrieve the animated filters is focus the camera on your face, press and hold down on the screen where your face is located. Suddenly, an array of animations will appear on the bottom of the screen, so choose a filter, follow the directions on the screen (which include opening your mouth or raising your eyebrows), and snap away!

This filter has caused a lot of amusement, but how can Snapchat keep up the buzz? Well, in the short amount of time that this feature has been available, it has proved there is a plan in place to keep interests high. Snapchat has already started replacing some of the older filters with new ones.  For example, a filter that allowed your cheeks to become rosy red and rainbows to spew out of your mouth has been discontinued, while a newer one has been added where your face is put on the cover of a fashion magazine.  This new filter differentiates Snapchat even further from the ever-growing abundance of social media apps.

Many Pine Crest students are avid snapchat users and have strong opinions about this new feature.  Zia Pirani, a freshman, said, “I think that the addition of the new snapchat filters have definitely increased the use of this social media enormously. The new filters are fun and exciting, and by adding something new, Snapchat has allowed many people to experiment with different ways on how to take selfies.”  Zia sees this as a revolutionary addition to the somewhat infamous selfie.   Freshman Bryce Emanuel has a different take on the app’s latest venture; he commented, “They seem silly, and I don’t think I’m going to use them ever.  I mean, what are you going to use them for?”  He sees this as just another fad that will blow over eventually.  Senior Emily Klimberg said, “I think it’s fun and I love them.  I use them when I’m bored.”  And she brings up an interesting point.  These filters allow people to entertain themselves with a snap and have something to snap about; because of the humorous purpose of the filter, something that re-engages people’s interest in the already wildly popular app.

Whether you view it as a revolutionary idea, a fad, or somewhere in between, there’s no doubt this has made a ripple in the world of socials.  Only time will reveal the impact of the filter and how other social media counterparts will try to rival it, if at all.  Either way, Snapchat’s new filters have surprised their users and created something new for them to use.  And that in itself is revolutionary enough.

Source: Forbes