Snapchat dropped a new Super Bowl ad, and this one hits the entire premise of social media platforms right where it hurts. One of the most striking elements of the video is a blink-and-you-miss-it shot of a man kissing a cobra on its head. Over the course of the past year, multiple videos have gone viral on social media in which an uncharacteristically bold bloke can be seen giving a peck to the danger noodle, which has cultivated a reputation as one of the most venomous animal species on the planet.
Now, Snapchat’s video doesn’t exhibit the uneasy act as some sort of proud achievement that shows the depth of exciting content on the platform. Instead, Snapchat is weaponizing the picture to target other social media platforms that often reward creators for how over-the-top they can get. Kissing one of the most dangerous snakes on Earth is certainly one way to garner views and a favorable algorithmic reception, after all.
The quest for more likes, perfection in the content one posts, brutal trolling, material exhibition, an endless race to create shocking content, digital chaos, and toxic ideological division are among the social media tropes that Snapchat is targeting. With its Super Bowl spot, Snapchat is pushing itself as a platform where an individual can be their real self, foster more personal connections, and just have some fun. Remember those silly puppy ear filters on Grandpa’s face? That kind of digital engagement.
Snapchat has darker side, too
Snapchat, indeed, has some definitive privacy-centric features such as taking a friends-only approach to the content you post, keeping location sharing off by default, and the lack of an algorithmically curated public content feed. And then, there are a bunch of fun features such as interactive filters that make it more appealing for a young audience, which also loves the privacy-centric visibility features that keep their content limited to only a circle of close friends and family.
The company even published two studies in partnership with Mindshare last year, highlighting how Snapchat was the social site that users associated with more joy and happy experiences. Snapchat’s grandstanding in the ad, which is going to be seen by millions during the biggest sports event in the country, is somewhat lopsided, too. That’s because Snapchat itself has a bad track record of being associated with one of the darkest sides of the internet.
A study conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) ranked Snapchat and Instagram as the worst social media platforms for children’s mental health. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children named Snapchat as a repeat offender in its 2022 and 2023 reports, noting that 26% share of online grooming happened on Snapchat, while the 2022 report said a third of all such offenses involved the app.
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