Technology is constantly evolving, and it can be challenging to keep up with the changes. Apps are continuously being updated and improved, and just when you become comfortably familiar with one, another update is released and you’re baffled.
Oh sure, I used to think I was “with it”. Then I had kids, and my kids had technology.
And they use that technology against me. Well, they don’t do so intentionally, but they definitely make me feel old when they show me a video clip on Tik Tok & expect me to know what to hit to play it again.
Do I swipe left? Hit the two lines in the corner? What is a “Tik Tok”, anyway? And filters- I can have dog ears & a dog’s tongue on Snapchat… should I want dog ears in my pics? What IS Snapchat?
But when it comes to app ignorance, there can be more at stake than just your own personal dignity. In fact, when used incorrectly, a single app can become awkwardly hilarious for a LOT of people- even an entire country’s worth.
A meeting of the Pakistan government that was broadcast via Facebook Live was recently an unintended source of hilarity on social media when the “cat filter” was accidentally turned on as the event was live-streamed.
The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan conducted a political press conference, led by regional minister Shaukat Yousafzai on June 14 in order to brief local constituents on various issues. The event was live-streamed on his political party’s (Tehreek-e-Insaf) official Facebook page.
While we’re used to the formal decorum of most political press conferences, this one featured some rather unusual additions.
As those of you that are accustomed to using the cat filter know, adding it makes everything 10x cuter. Yes, apparently even political briefings.
The snafu occurred when the staffer responsible for live-streaming the event accidentally left the cat filter turned on for the broadcast. As a result, Shaukat Yousafzai’s briefing was conducted with a pair of cat ears perkily perched on his head, with some cute-as-a-button whiskers and nose to boot.
The page was alerted to the mishap when, according to Indian Express, a commenter stated on the page:
Remove the filter, the man has been turned into a cat.
Now personally, watching a man turn into a cat would be the best.press.conference.EVER. But the Tehreek-e-Insaf party was obviously embarrassed by the incident, & hastily deleted the live-stream clip minutes later.
But not before social media users “pounced” on it:
I propose all parliamentary proceedings around the world to be recorded with Cat Filters. Please start with the British Parliament! @HouseofCommons @UKHouseofLords @UKParliament https://t.co/7vAJRcEN3m
— ??? (@RuralHuman) June 15, 2019
(I agree- how much more fun would political briefings be if the speakers wore cat ears??)
Who let the cats out!!! #KhyberPakhtunkhwa #government media team forgets cat filter is on while live steaming press briefing. ????@PTIofficial @Xadeejournalist @ZarrarKhuhro @Qamarcheema pic.twitter.com/xs0GtkBVyK
— Sib Kaifee (@sibkaifee) June 14, 2019
Can you imagine how hard it would be for that guy in the back to keep a straight face if he knew this was happening??
— P (@misschammko) June 15, 2019
It clearly commands everyone’s attention.
So this happened today when PTI's SM team forgot to turn off the cat filter while live streaming a press conference on Facebook. @SAYousafzaiPTI looks kinda cute pic.twitter.com/IjjJrua7DL
— Ahsan Hamid Durrani (@Ahsan_H_Durrani) June 14, 2019
“Felt cute, might delete later”. (Will DEFINITELY delete later.)
While the incident is certainly awkward for a world government, Yousafzai took it in stride, joking to French news outlet Agence France-Presse that:
I wasn’t the only one — two officials sitting along me were also hit by the cat filter.
Being hit by the cat filter made a mundane political briefing far more entertaining than it would have been otherwise, but Pakistan is not looking to maintain the trend. The party issued a statement via Twitter, citing human error and clarifying that:
all necessary actions have been taken to avoid such incident in future.
Clarification regarding coverage of Press Briefing held by KP’s Information Minister Shoukat Yousafzai: #PTISMT pic.twitter.com/Oudb9r3lGz
— PTI (@PTIofficial) June 15, 2019
Too bad, because tech slips like this one make for comedy gold!
While most governments prefer to maintain their sense of decorum and propriety, this Facebook Live gaffe was a fun diversion from the usual tedium. It certainly created a hilarious media catastrophe, & social media users appreciate it!