On Sept. 15, Snapchat released its latest update providing some fun, new features for their users.
One of the interesting new additions includes lenses that will spice up the average selfie. They are intended to be very user-friendly, according to Team Snapchat’s website. All the user has to do is tap and hold down on their face in order to activate and then select whichever filter they’d like at the bottom of the screen. Some popular filters include giving yourself a rainbow tongue frightening fangs.
Although this feature has been generating a lot of hype, senior Jackie Ovassapian predicts that this, like most social media fads, will run its course quickly and fade in popularity over time. She says, “I’ll probably use it a lot the next few days and then not so much after that.”
Snapchat also offers a new feature where users have the chance to purchase three replays for $0.99 in addition to the one free replay per day. Senior Devin Seth views this as capitalistic and states, “it’s definitely a way for Snapchat to make money.”
When asked about the trophy addition, which entails the user’s ability to view their accomplishments, such as reaching a particular score or sending a certain type of Snapchat, Addy Arnold, a junior, expressed her fear that her Snapchat addiction will increase because she “doesn’t know what any of the accomplishments are until she gets them so [she] feel[s] like she has to get them all.”
Snapchat is clearly trying to lure users in by adding enticing, new surprises that will keep them interested, but they have failed to make the change that many users have been asking for.
“Best friends is what makes Snapchat what it is, and, I loved it, and now it’s just gone,” expressed Arnold. “They show you some surprises and plot twists, and you never know what relationships will spark from it.”
Snapchat used to offer the ability for its users to view the top three “best friends” of each of their contacts. A user’s “best friends” are determined by the number of times one Snapchats each of their individual contacts, and the three contacts one Snapchats most were listed beneath their username.
This popular feature was taken away in early 2015 due to some higher-profile users’ complaints. The CEO of snapchat, Evan Spiegel, tweeted in January that “best friends” would be returning once they figured out a way to keep certain usernames private. Unfortunately for many hopeful Snapchat users, the comeback has yet to happen.
