Signal Fall 2017 Newsletter

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8
Disappearing Photos are
Just the Start with Snapchat
This fun app offers a multimedia chat experience
If you’re not yet familiar with the social
media app Snapchat, it’s likely you soon
will be. Experts say Snapchat has reached
a tipping point that will propel it from a
fringe app used primarily by millennials
to a standard app used by the culture at
large. A recent Wired article states, “Snap-
chat is on the verge of its ‘mom moment,’
the point at which a social media platform
tips from niche network to mainstream
sensation and becomes the type of thing
your mother will start using.”1
What is Snapchat?
Snapchat is like other social media apps
in that it allows you to share in-the-
moment photos and videos, mixed with
other media. But it differs because with
Snapchat, these shared bits are meant
to disappear upon viewing. When you
send a “snap,” you set the time it will
remain for the receiver to view it—up to
just 10 seconds.
However, there are exceptions to this
rule. One feature allows you to create
“stories,” which are multiple videos
and photos strung together to create a
longer narrative; upon receipt, they last
for 24 hours. In addition, it’s possible
to take a screen shot of a snap sent by
a friend and store it in your phone, or
to use other workarounds to save it.
So, Snapchat users who might feel safer
sending a risky photo or items they don’t
want to last forever online should use
caution.
Why It’s Fun
Snapchat users enjoy the informal
experience of sharing small moments
from their day or life that might not
be appropriate within other apps.
For example, those “what I had for
breakfast” photos may get eye rolls
from your Facebook friends, but are
perfectly fine and fun on Snapchat, espe-
cially when you embellish them with
drawings, emojis, and text. The app
includes a messaging function, so you
can also share random thoughts, such
as, “Can’t sleep!” Like Snapchat photos
and videos, these messages are designed
to disappear after just a few moments.
Nearly 9 photos per
second are shared on
Snapchat.6