Students Snap Selfies

By Jeremiah Rivera

Tired of your Snapchat messages getting deleted after seconds of you opening them? Well Snapchat has announced a new paid feature that allows users to replay snaps for $1. Users will now be able to replay private Snapchat post among friends at least three extra times before the message gets deleted permanently.

Along with this new feature, Snapchat also releases a new selfie-altering mode they call “lenses.” “Everyone looks hilarious trying to do all those lenses in their videos now” said York College alumna Yinette Ventura. “I love the one with the rainbow coming out of your mouth. I might get the replay feature just to re-watch the stuff people send me.”

         While the user gets ready to take a selfie they are now able to press on their face to activate a panel where the different lenses can be chosen. Some of these new lenses includes an interactive heart lens which puts hearts over the user’s eyes as they explode when the user raises their eyebrows.

       The new lenses also include a horror lens which activates when the user opens their mouth transforming them into a monster. New lenses will appear each day,  according to a Team Snapchat blog  post.

         The new update is already getting positive reviews. “The update definitely improves the older version. The new feature promotes creativity in people’s snaps,” said York student Anthony Medina. The big question many are wondering. Is it really worth paying $1 just to replay a photo or video an extra three times? The answer is completely up to the user.

If they are an active Snapchat user who gets tons of messages or can’t read a text on a photo in less than three seconds then this little feature may just be for them. Even if their not an active user, this feature is incredibly cheap in comparison to gaming apps which sometimes charge $5.99 just to play a few extra levels.

        Team Snapchat also promises fun new surprises in this new update including trophies and other unannounced features. An interactive feature is something Instagram and Vine has yet to do. Although those apps update from time to time, they mostly focus on remodeling its appearances instead of considering what the user may find interesting or helpful.

In comparison to other popular social media apps like Instagram and Vine; Snapchat’s new update shows how it is able to maintain its vast growing popularity while remaining relevant like its competition.