Technology is a wonderful tool, but are photo sharing apps becoming more powerful addictions than we realize?

   As a person who has indulged in many photography classes and formed a strong passion for lasting memories, I’ve noticed that photo sharing applications are not living up to their potential. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of students using spare time to take pictures of themselves making funny faces or of their classrooms with an unfitting filter, only to hear the next day that it only got a few likes on Instagram. Or that whoever it was Snapchatted to did not even respond on how “cute” they looked.

    There will always be problems with technology and potential for misuse. Cyber-bullying has become the latest epidemic for students across the United States, but do Snapchat and Instagram fuel that fire?

   You can only view a message on Snapchat for a limited time which opens up a world of possibilities to people lured in through a false sense of security. This can be used in positively, like sharing an unwanted or less than pretty photo of a group of friends with each other – just to see how it turned out. There is also negative side to these applications as well, which opens up an entire list of mistakes.

   Instagram is slightly different, as it allows you to let your creativity shine. This means that people are broadening their horizons and finding new points of view, but it seems that it’s far too easy to lose sight of the potential it has. People went from taking pictures on the go with interest to documenting their every move and meal.

   It’s clear that Starbucks is popular, but do we really need to see you posing with your drink every time you get one?

     With the way things are today, technology has its own lifecycle which invites misuse and a lack of purpose. Currently the generations are filled with want to be models and low-grade cameras trying to create a virtual scrapbook. Maybe with a little more perspective to these photos this could be a beautiful trend, but as it stands right now, both Instagram and Snapchat are just fun ways to kill our precious time.