Liana Riley
[follow id =”Ri__Li”]
Boobs. Alcohol. Jackass-worthy stunts.
No, this isn’t a scene from “Superbad,” it’s a compilation of 10-second-and-under videos, courtesy of the notorious “cpslo” Snapchat account.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past three weeks, you’ve either seen or heard of the raunchy and suggestive clips the newly minted account allows us to indulge in.
Through the account, students are able to submit pictures and videos, with the hope they will be reposted for the masses to sift through in between classes.
The result? A collection of yesterday’s antics, ranging from tame to explicit, with an added dose of nudity for good measure.
Other college campuses, such as Arizona State, have seen their accounts dismantled by the Snapchat police itself; however, even when you cut off the head of the beast, another three grow back in its place.
If there’s one thing college students excel in, it’s finding loopholes, especially when partial nudity is on the line.
As a frequent viewer of cpslo, I can vouch for the risque account’s entertainment value. A momentary high accompanies seeing a friend or acquaintance make a cameo. My good friend Rebecca got her five seconds of fame for being stuck in a washing machine at a party. It was invigorating.
It’s no surprise that we Generation Zers are chomping at the bit, eagerly awaiting the next round of debauchery to be posted in this arsenal of X-rated content. We college students are a hyper-sexualized bunch who revel in this fun-natured and easily devoured entertainment without much reservation.
Despite its supposedly whimsical intentions, cpslo has far more precarious implications than we might have initially imagined. I fear there is a danger in allowing our sensual and obscene snaps to reach such a public arena. We lose a sense of accountability, and with a level of nudity equivalent to Tiger Woods’ iPhone photo reel, this is a precedent we need to establish.
This account reaches hundreds, if not thousands, of students, some potentially not even attending Cal Poly. And let’s not forget the screenshot possibilities.
Once you press send, your pictures are off to circulate in the abyss, with an unknown audience at bay. We need to be more conscious of the concept that we won’t always be careless collegiates; one day, you might even put that LinkedIn profile to use.
Snapchat has long since exceeded its intended purpose, and these accounts stand as proof.
What was once an app intended for sending your run of the mill 2 a.m. nudes has developed into a vessel for ogling at a bevy of ridiculous stunts, drug paraphernalia and sex scenes straight out of a low-budget porno.
I’ll concede that Snapchat has furthered the human experience by allowing us to feel comfortable being our ugliest selves in pictures. Plus, the best friends feature reveals more about us than our horoscopes in “Seventeen” magazine ever could.
Therefore, it is our use of Snapchat that needs a restructuring.
Bishop Peak sunrise hikes. Beautiful and surreal, keep posting. Or Saturday Pismo trips? Sure thing. Cpslo can be used for good when you factor out the unnecessary obscenities.
It’s time to ask ourselves: Is capturing our inebriated escapades worth the tricky legal and privacy implications? Probably not, when we are only 2-3 odd years from “actual” adulthood.
The cpslo account will hopefully sever ties with our student body in due time.
Until then, I urge you to refrain from plastering your high jinks across a Snapchat story with more blondes than a Tim McGraw concert.
And to the person who attempted to censor their genitalia with an emoji: Yeah, we saw it.