Stop sending snapchats of your pets: no-one cares
Yes we know you’ve been #reunited, but stop sending boring snaps of your pets, says Bella Eckert
I’ve just opened a stream of pet snapchats for the 5th consecutive day since I got home.
I know you haven’t seen your beloved pet for months, but seriously, does that give you the right to document their every mind-numbingly boring move in a snapchat? Especially when we all do that thing with snapchat videos: wait for the entirety of the ten seconds, thumb on button, thinking that there’s some amusing or interesting factor that encouraged the culprit to watch back their video, go on to check all those little boxes and press send. It’s rare that my hopes are confirmed.
The thing is, although you may have missed your pet, I really haven’t. I missed mine, yes, and when I saw mine again I gave them a stroke and got on with my day. I didn’t spend a good fifteen minutes getting the perfect cut, with the right angle and lighting – I just carried on living my life. And I’m right for not feeling the need to inform the social stratosphere of the way my dog greeted me.
Granted, your pet may spontaneously do something funny, you may have taught it a cool trick, you may have an obscure pet (like a capybara – a ridiculously large guinea pig – or a snapping turtle), or you may have made a funny joke that involves using your pet as a vehicle.
You might even just be showcasing your art skills.
In any of these cases, fair play to you. My problem is with those that are literally, just a video, of your dog. You’re probably saying its name and waiting for it to turn around like a red-carpet celebrity, but instead it’s looking at you, gormless. Hilarious.
And let’s take a moment to think about the pet – dragged into shot, limbs jutted into position like some performing circus monkey that would have the RSPCA up in arms. These poor animals are just resigned to their snapchat fate. Look at these kittys – they’re sick of this crap.
Snapchatters, there are other platforms for you to showcase how cool your pet is (like this instagram of my friend’s dog). But at least here I have the choice to view it, at a time that suits me when I probably have literally nothing to do. Snapchats on the other hand, are inescapable.
And I’ll admit it – I’m guilty of it too. I’ve probably sent snapchats that haven’t excited the person on the receiving end, and for that I’m sorry – but let’s stop sending boring photos and footage of animals to everyone. No one cares.
It would be easier if the problem wasn’t exclusive to your domestic bezzies – instead it’s all snapchats in general. So this is my plea: smartphone owners, think about your actions. Send snapchats you think people might actually give a shit about.