Shoot, slide, tap. It takes less than ten seconds for student to use Snapchat to instantaneously document their daily lives. The social media platform allows for students to communicate with people from all around the globe, while having the ability to customize their experience with geotags and filters.
Clusters, dorms, and events at Andover have been known for creating specific geotags, whether the geofilter at this year’s Andover/Exeter tournaments, or the campus-wide filter of Samuel Phillips Hall. Every cluster on campus except for West Quad North has developed a geofilter.
Ally Klionsky ’17, the creator of Pine Knoll Cluster’s geofilter, said, “Abbot Cluster came up with a geotag, and I was walking downtown and I saw it show up on my phone, and I was really excited and I already created the PKN logo, so I went on snapchat.com, to their geofilter submission page, and I just quickly uploaded the image, and it got accepted.”
“I like [the PKN geotag] better than the regular Andover one, and I just like the PKN symbol. And a lot of our cluster members do use it,” said Ianna Ramdhany Correa ’20.
Various events around campus have also been known to use geotags. The Ugly Sweater Party hosted on Saturday was adorned with a geofilter of Christmas lights, created by Sarah Choi ’18 and Ale Macaya ’18. The Andover community has seen the tendency of geofilters becoming a tradition for annual events, as every year there is a new Andover/Exeter geofilter for the weekend’s events.
“People were really excited about [the geofilter] and were using it, and so it was a great experience. Basically incorporated with a semi opaque background filter, I typed in Andover related texts. People in Exeter were also using the geotag too, so it was really exciting. [Geotags] make everything seem more exciting, and that’s definitely true with the Andover/Exeter geotag. It was really exciting and made people hyped up for games,” said Klionsky, who also created last year’s Andover/Exeter geofilter.
Max Rigby-Hall ’18, who attended the Ugly Sweater Party and used the geofilter, said, “I think geofilters are becoming more and more popular because it’s an easy way to add more color and fun to your Snapchats. It’s kind of like a special thing that only you and the people and the event can see. Everyone wants to get the geofilter so they can put it on their story and be one of the few who saw it.”
West Quad South’s geofilter was designed by Sam Bloom ’18, who brainstormed ideas within WQS’s Cluster Counsel before taking her ideas to Adobe Photoshop. A launch party was held for the filter at the end of last term, and Bloom plans to launch another geofilter she designed for the cluster after break.
“It was a cool addition to add the the cluster, other clusters already had one, and I figured, ‘why not have one too?’ It was also a way to bring people to West Quad South, because it’s not really in the center of campus,” said Bloom. “We met at cluster council a couple times, and everyone just discussed what they wanted to see, but I had pretty much creative control over the whole thing.”
The Addison Gallery of American Art is currently holding a contest for students to design a geofilter to represent the museum, that will be active during the Addison’s Wednesday evening hours.
Snapchat is also a different way of expressing students’ identity by decorating a picture with filters. For many students, geofilters encourage students to feel more involved with Andover.
“You definitely have a sense of pride, when you’re able to post your story and share with your friends and they can see [Andover’s] geotag,” said Klionsky.
Ramdhany Correa said, “I would definitely be [interested in new geotags of Andover], especially like the clubs I am part of, and like the different sports I do. It just like really unites like a group of people in whatever community they are in.”
As Snapchat constantly develops numerous filters and geotags that users can enjoy, Andover students can create and submit their own geofilters of Andover’s campus to be reviewed and further implemented.
Tyler Yung ’20 said, “Snapchat is very fun and easy to enjoy because you don’t have to type anything. Just two touches send a photo… The greatest advantage [of Snapchat] is that it is interesting and gives me constant joy getting connected with my friends in a unique way.”
Editor’s Note: Ally Klionsky is an Executive Digital Editor of The Phillipian.
