From Rainbow Capitalism to being insensitive towards oppressed communities, big corps have done it all. In 2020, Snapchat rolled out a filter referring to Juneteenth and it raged the people all over the world for triggering a “smile“. So what was the Snapchat Juneteenth controversy? How did it offend people? Let’s uncover everything!
What is Snapchat Juneteenth?
In 2020, Snapchat rolled out a Juneteenth filter with a Pan-African flag background asking Snapchatters to smile to break the chains. The filter was captioned as “JUNETEENTH” and “FREEDOM DAY“. It is a very stupid way to commemorate the years and years of slavery. What kind of an app engineer can’t be sensitive enough to realize that smiling won’t ever fix the trauma. This is not a way to pay your tributes, instead, it is more likely making fun of Juneteenth. Also, read Walmart Juneteenth Ice Cream Melted By Backlash and Controversy Mark S. Luckie posted a video on Twitter with the caption “This SnapChat #Juneteenth filter is…um…interesting. Smile to break the chains? Okay then.“
Apology on Snapchat Juneteenth Filter
After the tweet, Snapchat publically made a statement apologizing for its controversial Juneteenth filter. The exact statement was, “We deeply apologize to the members of the Snapchat community who found this Lens offensive. A diverse group of Snap team members were involved in developing the concept, but a version of the Lens that went live for Snapchatters this morning had not been approved through our review process. We are investigating why this mistake occurred so that we can avoid it in the future.“ Looks like Snapchat has become a pro at apologizing, looking at its history of offending people and repeated controversies. Also, read How to Add Filters on Snapchat? Easiest Tricks for iPhone & Android in 2022
Who Created Snapchat Juneteenth Filter?
Snapchat gave the Lens Development project to Looksery in 2015. Snapchat got Looksery for $150 million. Sources have said that the team of Looksery is based in Ukraine. It is understandable that the people of Ukraine might not be fully familiar with the concept of Juneteenth, but the people who authorized the filter can definitely be blamed. As said by Snapchat, they have diversified employees working for them. If that’s true then why didn’t those Black employees review the filter before rolling it out?
Snapchat Juneteenth Filters 2022
It has been two years since that incident and Snapchat has got good backlash for its Snapchat Juenteenth filter controversy, it now stays safe. There are multiple filters on Snapchat on Juneteenth that you can use today. Hoping that they aren’t offending to anyone this time.
1. Juneteenth BLM
Snapchat Juneteenth BLM filter is a simple filter wth just a Black Lives Matter logo on the cheeks and “JUNETEENTH” written all over it.
2. Juneteenth
Again a pretty basic filter asking you “What does Juneteenth mean to you?” Also, read How To Make A Snapchat Filter | A Perfect Tool For All Events
Wrapping Up
That was all about this article on Snapchat Juneteenth filter. If you liked it then comment below. You can also share this article with your friends and family members. There were many other Snapchat Juneteenth filters in the Lens explorer, but these two are the only ones that I found safe. Try them and send Juneteenth streaks now.
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