1. How do you classify your artifact? In what groups can you place your artifact? What connections can you make to other artifacts in the group?
My artifact is snapchat. It is an app for smartphone. On snapchat you can exchange videos and photos with friends. It is under the category of photos. With photos in the past, you develop them and make photo albums. With technology these days, it is easier to share photos with others in real time. Instead of waiting a few days to pick up your photos, the photos are already stored on your phone. You can send multiple photos at once as well. Photos were originally developed from the negatives and were dropped off at a photo developer store. Then came digital cameras. you could store more photos on there, it was less bulky, etc.. You could develop your photos with memory card. From digital camera came the phones with cameras on them. Now in 21st century, we have the Sglaxy, iPhone which have really good cameras on them. No one has digital camera anymore.
2. Identify points of similarity between your artifact and others. Then identify points of difference with other artifacts. How is it similar? How is it different?
Another app which is similar to snapchat is instagram.
Launched in 2011, Snapchat is a social media platform that allows you to take pictures and videos, add text to them, and send them to either one friend or to share them with all the people following you. It comes with a fun twist—once viewers open your Snap, they only have ten seconds to view it (or the duration of the video) before it automatically deletes itself and it’s gone for good. They operate on the “now you see it, now you don’t” principle. Snapchat also fun and exciting filters for their users. Snap chat is great for the selfie factor. There are filters that allow for airbrushing (butterflies and flower crown filter). With Snapchat you can select which users can view your photos and videos. Celebrities tend to use snapchat more.
Instagram: Instagram is used more in companies and also used for marketing. On instagram, the user does not have option to select one friend to view photos or videos, it is sent out to entire platform. Instagram is rewarded for their technology. It has a cleaner design.
Both these apps are used for sharing photos.
3. What metaphors or analogies suit your artifact?
snapchat is a drug- everyone is using it
snapchat is art- people can use filters or use text on their photos
snapchat is to attention as water is to thirsty- People are quick to post selfies
4. How is your artifact characterized? (How do people/media/groups characterize it?)
People see it as fun and silly. It’s a way to connect and keep in touch with others. Through photos you can spark conversations. You can share your photos and videos instantaneously. Some people viewed snapchat as a way to send nudes. Since the viewing option could be set to 5 seconds and disappear lots of people in the beginning began to use it for this. The thing is that photos never disappear. I think people caught on that and now just use it for the fun filters(rainbow tongue, dog ears, and beauty features for their selfies.
5. What cultural narratives govern your artifact?
Snapchat is used as a fun way to connect and share photos and videos with friends.
6. What assumptions, stereotypes, habits, social practices, and institutions frame your artifact?
As previously posted, stereotype of snap chat was that users used the app for sexting. Habits onSnapchat: users use the filters for selfies. There are way too many selfies on my newsfeed. Make it stop! There are excessive filters. It used mostly by tweens and young women.
7. What doctrines or practices affect your artifact? (Or, what doctrines or practices you’re your artifact affect?) Political parties and platforms? Religious? Ideological? Which ones? Are there cultural “rules” and practices? Which?
There is a controversy going on with snapchat that the butterfly and flower crown filters airbrush features, make eyes and lips bigger, define jawline, makes people thinner. It makes the skin whiter, skin glow and hair shiny. It is a superficial and ideological image of beauty. It is putting everyone into one category: Pretty white girls. This app is used mostly by tweens(9-18) and young women(18-25).
8. How does your artifact affect culture? How does culture affect your artifact?
It is encouraging a selfie culture and self-centered society. It lets users personalize photos.