Snapshots of Life

A few weeks ago, I got a really clever Snapchat from a friend—head artfully posed in silhouette, with two words of text and some beautifully drawn additions, detailed enough to be in a portrait and so well-placed that a single glance, in the context of the Snapchat conversation, was enough to make me literally “lol”. In response, I could only muster “you, sir, are truly a Snapchat artist.” A comical conversation ensued, in which I began to think—what, exactly, would a Snapchat artist do?

When one’s artwork only lasts for a few seconds, how much time and effort are you willing to put into the small piece of your soul that is about to make its way to your friend (or, in everyone’s nightmare, your enemies)? Though the act of simply pressing a button to save the moment takes almost no effort at all, the text and drawing portions of the app add more complications to the usual framing and lighting conundrums. Possibly because there is such a wide range of effort possible in the composition of snapchats, there seems to be no general consensus on what is expected from a snap. The same situation applies in other forms of new technology, as tweet content is expected to range widely from Kanye’s oversharing to Obama’s policy suggestions. These are wonderfully versatile technologies, and users have responded in kind.

Mostly, you can tell what exciting 10-second-or-less shot you are about to receive by checking who send it. There are those artists who have decided that Snapchat is their medium, and their best friends, the consumers. These are the beautifully lit shots, with scribbles galore. A hat and facial hair is simply the beginning; there is no end to their creativity and ability. Then, of course, there is the “crafty snapchat.” This is the girl who always knows just what to say and has continued the trend to Snapchat. A sneaky picture of your TF with devil horns and tail? That’s her.

Of course, where would we be without the trolls of technology? Beyond the usual annoyances (no, I do not need 14 selfies of you within 20 minutes), instant communication lends itself to some spur of the moment decisions, some more advisable than others. Sexting, of course, is the quintessential use of an app that supposedly deletes those risqué photos after a titillating glance by the lucky recipient. Our generation of technology users, a group semi-educated enough in tech privacy and the ultimate repercussions of our digital choices, has gravitated to more “private” channels like Snapchat for our more risque actions. Snapchat is only one in a long (continuing) line of new channels for us to express ourselves without being forever held accountable for something that our future boss might not approve of. Is this art, as well? Or simply a means to excite that special someone(s)?

Appropriateness has never defined art, so sexting of an appropriate quality would unquestionably qualify. What defines “Snapchat art” could possibly be the same qualities that distinguish our favorite photos and videos, the ones we share and keep. The real beauty of Snapchat, however, is how it both captures life and allows one to elaborate upon the image with text and scribbles—an instant, then gone. The art of Snapchat is that these quick snippets are similar to those moments we have never been able to properly share, because you either had to “be there” or be sent a photo, which could be looked at with different eyes over the years, or glanced at knowing that “I can see it later.”

The difference, here, is that we are able to share that instant, elaborated upon as it would be in our minds. Snapchat has elevated our ability to share pieces of our lives with others as we experience them. There is something beautiful about the lack of long-term accountability as well—when the worry of posterity is gone, propriety also flies out the window. Though many might view that as an open invitation to get aboard the sexting train, what about those silly moments that would never elsewise be shared? The unflattering picture that is wonderful because of who else is in it, or that hilarious ad that you must show your friend but keep to yourself because her phone will have a record of you having sent it? Now you have a channel, a means by which you can share that moment of life that could be expressed no other way. So create, my friends, and snap away.

—Columnist Sara Kantor can be reached at sara.kantor@thecrimson.com.