I have a flip phone. It’s fantastic. The satisfaction of slamming shut a conversation is nostalgic and fulfilling.
The only negative to not having a smartphone and being plugged in virtually all the time is the lack of Crossy Road. I also can’t use Snapchat easily, which I only log in to send edited pictures of my junk to the unsuspecting masses.
Coming to Chico changed my perspective on Snapchat and cameras in general.
When did taking photos transform from capturing beauty to pausing a moment to embellish or flaunt it? Instagram culture seems to have the right mindset, but it’s Snapchat that destroys a good time.
I like to dance, to sing, to rap, to express myself. Too often, I turn up and, to my disappointment, come down to four recording phones in my face, more in my business than a proctologist.
I was in Sutter with eight other guys. While we were conversing, some dude at the end is extending his arm to forcibly selfie all of us into one awkward, pointless photo.
You need to tell everyone you’re eating with people right now? At Sutter Dining? Does Snapchat make you feel cool, punk?
Stop taking snaps of me. Chat with me instead. I haven’t earned any paparazzi.
Where is the benefit coming from? Usually snaps seem to be some sort of self-acceptance tool, showcasing someone’s ability to harness friends for an instant. Any friends watching that snap probably just feel like crap because they aren’t in on the fun.
In addition, roughly half of peoples’ stories are 100 seconds long with nothing interesting to display. Classrooms and emoticons are boring.
This sort of frustrating camera disruptiveness doesn’t stop with Snapchat.
After a lot of concerts, particularly raves, on the event page people post “Who’s got photos of me?” It’s like everybody is living for photos rather than the moment. It would probably improve everyone’s existence to unplug and bask in an instant, rather than photograph it.
Snapchat should be strictly for nudes.
William Rein can be reached at [email protected] or @toeshd on Twitter.
