Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.05.2017, Blaðsíða 25

25The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08 — 2017
GARÐAR “GÆI” VIÐARSSON
SNAPCHAT: ICEREDNECK
How many followers do you
have?
Somewhere between 15,000-
18,000.
Why did you start snapping?
I thought it was a very neat app
and I was certain I could have fun
with it.
What do you think you do dif-
ferently which makes you more
popular than others?
I am sincere, unfiltered and
cheerful. My Snapchat is also
sort of like reality TV and not one
acted out scene.
Why do you think people have an
interest in following people they
don’t know on Snapchat?
I guess it is a way to satisfy peo-
ple’s curiosity. Man has always
been a curious creature.
Do you use Snapchat for adver-
tising purposes and have you
made money off it?
It has happened, but I think it’s
important to state that I have
never discussed things I don’t
like myself and I never will.
SNORRI BJÖRNSSON
SNAPCHAT: SNORRIBJORNS
How many followers do you
have?
I have seen snaps that have been
viewed up 30,000 times, but I
don’t have an exact figure.
Why did you start snapping?
In 2015, I was asked to film the
Icelandic team at the CrossFit
Games and spent a month in LA
documenting the games from A
to Z. But I wasn’t allowed to film
the actual games, so I started
making Snapchats of the games
and soon I had over 1,000 follow-
ers. You could say that was the
beginning of my Snapchat ad-
venture.
What do you think you do dif-
ferently which makes you more
popular than others?
I have a hard time putting my
finger on anything specific,
but people filter out accounts
they don’t find interesting. It’s
all about how well you tell sto-
ries, what you are doing in life
and what you are showcasing.
The biggest challenge is how to
make everyday things interest-
ing—like going to the dentist or
changing a tire. If anything has
given me an edge then I think it’s
my feeling for how to present my
material.
Why do you think people have an
interest in following strangers
on Snapchat?
Personally I am not really inter-
ested in following others on
Snapchat, unless they have fun
stories or are interesting char-
acters. There are also some
Snapchatters who discuss per-
sonal issues and things that
are happening in their lives
and their heads—I think those
are the most difficult topics.
People always want to get close
to the lives of others—whether
through reality TV or social me-
dia—and Snapchat is the closest
you can get to a person.
Do you use Snapchat for advertis-
ing purposes and have you made
money off it?
I have used it for advertising pur-
poses, but I wouldn’t say that’s
how I use it. When I have done it
I have at the same time tried to
create my most ambitious story.
I reject around 99% of the offers
I receive, because most of them
are at odds with the aim of mak-
ing fun videos. Every time I adver-
tise I make it clear that I am. But
I want to take the opportunity to
make money through making fun
videos. Then the advertiser, me
and the viewer all benefit.
EVA RUZA - SNAPCHAT: EVARUZA
How many followers do you
have?
I have 7,000 rocking followers.
Why did you start snapping?
It really happened by accident.
I downloaded the app about
two years ago, but I was such
a novice that I didn’t know you
could make it private. I was quite
happy with having 30 followers,
but then all of a sudden follow-
ers started pouring in, I couldn’t
really understand it. But I thank
God that I didn’t have many fol-
lowers in the beginning, espe-
cially since people didn’t see the
snap I sent to my friends where
where I was shaking my tits.
What do you think you do dif-
ferently which makes you more
popular than others?
I don’t know how to answer that
question. My snaps are mainly
about having to deal with shit
and doing missions. I also don’t
take myself too seriously and I
try to make people laugh, while
they watch this little TV station
called evaruza. I also never cen-
sor myself and live by the motto,
If it isn’t fun I don’t do it. The Eva
Ruza people see on Snapchat is
the girl that exists in real life.
Why do you think people have an
interest in following strangers
on Snapchat?
It’s a really interesting medium,
because followers are allowed
an enormous access to the per-
son they follow. People feel like
they know you and I always love
when people come up to me on
the street to say hi. I think peo-
ple start out by being curious,
but then connect to shared hu-
mour, work and the like. It really
is incredible.
Do you use Snapchat for advertis-
ing purposes and have you made
money off it?
I try to keep my Snapchat as
much away from ads as possible,
simply because I’m bad at it and
don’t enjoy it. I think I can count
on the fingers of one hand the
number of products I have told
people about. I have, however,
done snaps for companies and
had some fun with that, but then
people know the purpose.
ALEXANDRA SIF NIKULÁSARDÓTTIR
SNAPCHAT: ALESIFNIKKA
How many followers do you
have?
Around 6,000.
Why did you start snapping?
I got Snapchat long before it be-
came a thing and to be honest
I didn’t think it would last. But I
wanted to use the app to share
with people things I know—stuff
related to makeup, living a posi-
tive and healthy lifestyle and so
forth.
What do you think you do dif-
ferently which makes you more
popular than others?
I don’t think I do anything differ-
ently, I am just myself and what
you see is what you get. I also
think my success in fitness has
helped.
Why do you think people have an
interest in following strangers
on Snapchat?
You can learn a lot from follow-
ing others on Snapchat, plus
it’s always exciting seeing what
other people are doing.
Do you use Snapchat for adver-
tising purposes and have you
made money off it?
I have not made any money from
Snapchat, but I have had offers
and have always refused. I have,
however, advertised products
I’ve bought or gotten for free. I
don’t want to talk about prod-
ucts because I need to, but be-
cause I want to.
HJÁLMAR ÖRN JÓHANNSSON
SNAPCHAT: HJALMARORN110
How many followers do you
have?
Just under 10,000.
Why did you start snapping?
I finally found a medium where I
could make sketches, shows and
more without being dependant
on editors, audio engineers and
actors.
What do you think you do dif-
ferently which makes you more
popular than others?
I do a lot of sketches and com-
edy material that is acted out.
People have responded well to
the characters I do, like Bjarni
the chauvinistic excavator op-
erator and the feminist Karl Ön-
nusson Magnason Sigrúnarson.
Why do you think people have an
interest in following strangers
on Snapchat?
Curiosity about the lives of oth-
ers, although that is probably
not the case with me as I don’t
really talk about my personal
life.
Do you use Snapchat for advertis-
ing purposes and have you made
money off it?
The money I make from Snapchat
comes mainly from people ask-
ing me to host events or enter-
tain at birthday parties and the
like. I have done ads a couple of
times, but I found it tiring.
HELGA GABRÍELA
SNAPCHAT: HELGAGABRIELA
How many followers do you have?
I have around 10,000 followers at
the moment.
Why did you start snapping?
It started with curiosity because
it was such a new medium. But
then I noticed that people were
extremely interested in what I
was doing in the kitchen and then
I really started to enjoy it.
What do you think you do dif-
ferently which makes you more
popular than others?
I have a really hard time evaluat-
ing it, truth be told I haven’t spent
much time contemplating it. But
I mainly snap because I am pas-
sionate about it. Cooking is both
my job and biggest hobby. I am
a real health freak as well and I
hope that comes across.
Why do you think people have an
interest in following strangers
on Snapchat?
I think people are naturally cu-
rious and want to know what
others are doing. It’s just some-
thing in our nature and probably
always has been. It’s also a form
of entertainment. Smartphones
have become a vital part of our
lives and Snapchat is just one of
the things they offer.
Do you use Snapchat for advertis-
ing purposes and have you made
money off it?
I have been asked to promote a
variety of products, but I don’t
want to do those sort of things
unless the product is something
I really like. But when I do I always
make it clear that this is a promo-
tion. I have not made any money
from Snapchat, not yet at least.
THE
INFLUENCERS
THE BIGGEST NAMES ON SNAPCHAT