Snapchat is a social media platform, but it’s not social media, according to a new ad campaign that aims to distance the image-sharing app from rival services facing scrutiny for perpetuating harm on the internet.
In a two-minute spot, innocent posts of selfies and opinions cascade into an ugly spiral of self-comparison, attention-seeking and divisiveness, as the background instrumentation crescendos toward a terrifying shrill. The message, that social media is tearing us apart, gives way to the ad’s second act, in which Snapchat is presented as something wholly different, a world where users seek fun and connection over “likes” and trolling.
The spot was made in-house and produced by Arts Academy. It was directed and edited by Tommy Harden.