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'Who would care?' Watch seniors try Snapchat for the first time

In the Fine Brothers' latest "Elders React" video, seniors take Snapchat for a spin. "All that sexting, texting, nude photos -- politicians should get on to this thing," says one.

Bonnie Burton
Journalist Bonnie Burton writes about movies, TV shows, comics, science and robots. She is the author of the books Live or Die: Survival Hacks, Wizarding World: Movie Magic Amazing Artifacts, The Star Wars Craft Book, Girls Against Girls, Draw Star Wars, Planets in Peril and more! E-mail Bonnie.
Bonnie Burton
2 min read

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This marked the first time some elders have ever taken a selfie. Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET

How do you explain Snapchat to seniors who have never used a photo app, let alone a smartphone? In the latest "Elders React" video from the Fine Brothers, seniors try Snapchat for the first time and offer some pretty funny commentary.

The "Elders React" video series from Benny and Rafi Fine, better known as the Fine Brothers, presents music videos, technology, apps and games through the eyes of our parents' and grandparents' generation -- with hilarious and rather fascinating results. Previous Fine Brothers videos featured older folks voicing their opinions about Grand Theft Auto V, Google Glass and the virtual-reality headset Oculus Rift.

In the new video posted Thursday, the Fine Brothers invited elders to try the social-media platform Snapchat, a mobile app highly popular among millennials that allows users to take photos or videos that automatically self-destruct after a set time. This concept proved challenging for a generation still trying to understand social media in general.

After the seniors open the app, take a selfie, write a caption and even doodle sketches on their photos, many ask, "Who would care?"

When it's explained that nothing on Snapchat is permanent and that the longest anything can stay on it is a day, they are even more confounded.

"So if you keep it short they can't blackmail you with the stuff you're putting out there," Johnny says in the video. "Yeah, that's a good idea!"

"All that sexting, texting, nude photos -- politicians should get on to this thing," Rhonda says of the app, which was founded in 2011 and last year was reported to have over 100 million users worldwide. A January report suggested that number may be getting close to 200 million active users.

Of course, savvy seniors in the video (correctly) realize there must still be some way that photos people think they're posting temporarily could still be saved and used against them later.

As entertaining as it is to watch our parents and grandparents fumble with and curse at the latest apps, gadgets, games and technology, the Fine Brothers says their impressions are just as important as those of teens and kids.

"Everyone's voice is part of the collective conversation, as we are in one of the last eras where our elders will truly have lived a life mostly without technology," Benny Fine told CNET's Crave blog. "So getting their insight is important to document and give us new perspectives."