05 | SNAP FOR BRINGING CRACKLE AND POP TO A NEW WAY OF SEEING THE WORLD
On a late summer evening in Phoenix, a group of Alpha Chi Omega sisters sit in the stands of the Arizona Diamondbacks stadium and take selfies. They capture duck-face snaps with each other, with churros, and with each other with churros. A bored camera operator spots them in the outfield stands, and two middle-aged MLB announcers have a field day, mocking the women’s youthful self-absorption.
“That’s the best one of 300 pictures I’ve taken of myself today!” one commentator cracks.
“Here’s my first bite of the churro!” chirps his coconspirator. “Here’s my second bite of the churro!”
“Peralta knocks it into center! . . . And nobody noticed.”
The clip went viral because, from the perspective of the MLB broadcast crew, the students seemed disconnected from events on the field. But the sorority sisters weren’t living their lives for the TV cameras. They were, in fact, having a great time at the game—via Snapchat.
Kelly Oxford
Consumers, advertisers, influencers, media brands, and rivals are increasingly viewing the world through Snapchat’s lens. In the past 18 months, the photo- and video-sharing app has released a slew of bold (and brazenly imitated) features, from absurdist digital masks to face-swapping to group chat, which have vaulted it to the vanguard of social communication. Snap, as the company
