In this day and age, everything is being recorded. The best
way to save memories is not to remember them, but to have physical evidence
that they happened in the form of picture or video. Technology has come a long
way since the first polaroid camera and video camera. Now, we have 12
megapixels worth of photography capabilities in our pockets at all times, built
right into our iPhones or Android devices. If this is not sufficient, we also
have video devices built into our laptops, tablets, and even video game
devices. Certain companies take what is already a part of our phones and build
on them. I am going to focus in on Snapchat, specifically their most recent creative
innovation, the Spectacles. These glasses link directly to the Snapchat app on
your phone and with the simple push of a button, allow you to record 10 second “snaps”
of whatever you are doing and post it so that everybody can see. Snap Inc CEO
Evan Spiegel is behind the idea of Snapchat and the Spectacles. Snapchat is one
of the most used social medias, allowing users to post pictures and videos
(maximum 10 seconds) of what they are doing to share with friends, and these
posts all disappear within 24 hours. With the invention of Spectacles, there is
no longer a need to open the app to post, it can all happen with the push of a
button on the glasses.
Evan Spiegel, one of the founders behind the app and its products, always had a knack for creativity. He attended Stanford university to study product design. Before this, he took many design classes in high school as well. These facts show that Spiegel was interested in creating new products well before college, so it is not a surprise that he is behind one of the largest social media/image sharing platforms of the current day. Snapchat itself has made it easy to share videos directly all using one app without having to upload, edit, and post media to sites. The creation of the Spectacles by Spiegel demonstrates the emerging theme of “Support at the Time of Breakthrough” that was discussed in Creating Minds.
This theme says that the creative has to have support at the time of innovation.
I took this to mean not literal companionship, but overall support by the
target audience. In this specific case, the target audience is users of the
app, their support would determine the overall success of the product. Since
the Spectacles have received good reviews, we can infer that the creator(s) had
the support system needed, and as a result succeeded with their creative product.
Collaboration is also an important theme, as Evan Spiegel did not create the
product by himself. He founded a company made up of hundreds of people, all
working towards the same goal of making social media postings of media easier.
All the minds of these individuals worked together to bring us the final
product. No man or woman alone possesses the necessary creative talent to achieve
something of this magnitude, collaboration plays a key role (the most
important, in my opinions) in the creative process.
The Spectacles are creative because they represent a novel
idea. Video cameras built into glasses have been designed before (think of
spycams and other accessories that you can buy). But never has there been a
direct link between them and a social media outlet. If you wanted to share a
video, you would have to go through the gruesome task of uploading the content,
editing it to fit upload parameters, and then finally posting it. With the
Spectacles, all this is bypassed and the video is posted immediately. The
creation addresses the above problem with a simple link between recording
content and uploading it. The Spectacles address the idea that society is constantly
moving forward, and that pictures and sharing on social media is the new way to
share memories with loved ones. The product uses the Big C creativity model to
shift as society does and explore new domains of sharing content with the
world.
I love Snapchat. I think it connects people in a way that simple text can not. My brother and I snapchat a lot and I think it helps bridge the gap that we don't see each other since I am in college. With glasses like these, it takes away the need to have your phone constantly in your hand and a quicker reaction to record something you have seen. I like how you commented on the importance that society is changing and we don't have to forget that social media and connecting people is a part of that. It's very cool how the idea to link glasses to an app allows people to share their experiences in a faster, efficient way.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, I am in the (what seems like) marginal portion of the population that does not use Snapchat. However, there is no doubt that Snapchat is a revolutionary and very creative development. When it comes to this new described device, Spectacles, I do have a few grievances. Since Snapchat is an App, you must first click on it to open it, then adjust and post the content (as you very well described). But how much better are such glasses, if you aren’t wearing them all the time? Assuming you do not wear them all the time, you would still need to dig them out of your bag (or always carry them around with you) in order to use them and instantly record a moment. Granted, it saves you from the post-editing struggle, but, personally, I would not want the hassle of carrying around Spectacles (particularly because I already wear glasses and, additionally, like to carry around the bare minimum). Even so, there certainly is an audience for it (even if it is not me)!
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, this also serves as a reminder of how quickly technology is advancing. This is reminiscent of an episode called “The Entire History of You” in Black Mirror (Netflix series). In the episode, there are memory implants in everyone’s heads and they can replay/recall any moment at the blink of an eye. While this is still at a distance away, it brought to mind similar technology (recording what you see in front of you).
Beyond this, I actually had no idea this invention (Spectacles) was in the works, so thank you for sharing! You did a great job connecting the creative process with Gardner’s Creative Minds, and I absolutely agree with you that collaboration is crucial (particularly in such technological advances!).