Marketing Contributor

If you are a parent and looking to impress your kids with a little snarkyness, I have a few tips on how to help you get a better sense of what their Snapchat captions are like.

To start, try this exercise: Take a screenshot of a cute or funny photo or Snapchat message and then look at the caption. Does the caption make you laugh? Does it make you cringe? If not, it’s probably a good caption.

As a parent, I have to say I am not a huge fan of Snapchat’s captions. I’m sure some of you have family members who will be a little less happy about them. However, there are some tricks to help you get a better sense of what they are like and how they are used. One of those tricks is to look at the caption in a split second while they are talking.

Just because it’s a snap doesn’t mean it’s a snap. A “snap” is a snapshot. For instance, if I snap a picture of a pizza and put the whole thing on my phone, that’s a snap (a snapshot). However, if you have time to look at my snapchat caption, and its not a snap (an actual snapshot), then it’s not a snap (even if the caption looks like a snap).

In a word, Snapchat is a way to show up and be present, so to use Snapchat to capture a moment means that I am taking the time to show up. Snap chat is a way to be present, but to be present in a way that makes me feel as if I am not actually present.

Using Snapchat to capture moments is a different ballgame than taking pictures of your own actions, because Snapchat takes a lot more time to capture a moment than a picture. The reason is that Snapchat takes time to parse a snap, so it can tell you how the moment is going to behave, or how you can better capture the moment. Snapchat is a way to show up and be present, but to be present in a way that makes me feel as if I am not actually present.

Captions are another way Snapchat can be present. While it isn’t a perfect substitute for real-time interaction, it can still be the most compelling way to capture time and remind yourself of what’s happening.

There are a lot of ways Snapchat can be present in a snap, but the one that really stood out to me was the caption. And it’s really a meta-metaphor, because if you’ve ever been in a conversation with someone on Snapchat and you thought about the caption, you’re not simply thinking about what the other person is saying, you’re thinking about yourself.

Snapchat is a way to communicate with people, but that doesnt mean it’s the only way. The caption is one of the most common ways to interact with people on social media sites, and I think it helps you get in touch with yourself and your own thoughts and feelings in real-time, when youre not looking at them.