Argumentative Essay On Snapchat

Reconsider The Snap: 'Cracked Screen: A Snapchat Story'
Sean Delles

It's getting harder and harder to ignore just how deeply Snapchat has sunk its teeth into our day-to-day schedules. Checking out everyone's stories first thing in the morning (and also right before bed) has become as normalized a routine as brushing teeth or swapping out contacts. With a ten second window to record, plenty of stickers and filters to play with, and the ability to stack stories on top of each other to create a sort of chronology of the day's events—it's pretty obvious why Snapchat has struck a chord with so many of us. Snapchat is addicting, and it's a whole lot of fun too. But as with most things in life, there's also a darker side to that fun—a looming, lurking
Although there's nothing too inherently wrong with exhibiting your personal life for the enjoyment of others (we all have our quirks here), there are nasty risks and pitfalls associated with the experience. People have a tendency to look at that invisible "wall" established between them and others on the internet and simply pretend that it's thicker than it really is. Social media perusers do and say things they'd never even dare of doing or saying while in the real world. This false sense of nonattachment and anonymity that social media can instill within people often leads to terrible things. Chantelle finds out about this cold reality in the most gut-wrenching of ways in Cracked Screen. It is the underbelly of Snapchat that stokes the tragedy driving the latter half of this
And if it seems like I forgot to mention that Cracked Screen was filmed entirely on the Snapchat app, that's because I sort of did. Trim Lamba's decision to take the central idea behind Cracked Screen—the twisted behaviors social media enables and how it can affect a pain-stricken individual— and film it through the social media platform itself is extraordinary. There are times where filmic experimentalism gets in the way of the story and its impact, and this is not one of them. The tale behind Cracked Screen is solid, and Lamba never skirts the rules of Snapchat itself. Every shot in Cracked Screen is simply a story that you might happen to see on the app itself— which makes the film even more devastating to watch.

The bottom line is that Cracked Screen may have set a new paragon for filmic experimentalism. It tackles so so much in such little time (there's much more to talk about with this one: i.e. race), and does so in a way that feels sickeningly familiar. Put aside your phones, log on to your computers, and give Cracked Screen a watch. It might change the way you Snapchat