How Snapchat’s goofy faces made everyone comfortable with selfies

I didn’t take many selfies until I downloaded Snapchat. But like so many people I’ve fallen in love with lenses, the optional tools that make my face look like a dog or an emoji or an advertisement for junk food. Now, a day doesn’t go by that I don’t mug into my front-facing camera. The magic of lenses is how they erase the perception of the selfie as an act of narcissism — an insipid criticism that comes from a certain clump of people who feel the need to bash people for showing a fleck of confidence. Why didn’t I take selfies? I was too embarrassed. Anyway! I digress! I’m clearly fascinated by the popularity and power of lenses, so I invited my friend and colleague Ashley Carman to the show. We talk about the potential of the lens, and the possible future of a would-be gimmick that has birthed a broader pop culture trend.

You can listen to How Snapchat’s goofy faces made everyone comfortable with selfies online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

How Snapchat’s goofy faces made everyone comfortable with selfies is an episode from What's Tech? by Vox Media Podcast Network.

This episode is 13:04 long.

This episode was published on Sep 13, 2016.

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