In September 2011, Snapchat, a multi-media image messaging application hit the app store market. The creators, Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown, developed this app for the purpose of private messaging that allowed a person to send and receive pictures that self-destruct. The app has gained popularity over the years, especially in the millennial generation. Though the main purpose of the app was intended for comedic purposes, the creators do realize that the app carries the advantage of private sexting with the safety of the destructible image feature. Over the years, Snapchat has evolved from the basic form of sending pictures, to a larger social media outlet with multiple features.
The app has changed over time in order to adapt to the times and modernize in order to not be out of date. Before, the design itself was very out of date and simple. Today, the design of the app is very sleek and clean, which is more attractive for the eye. Currently, the ability to screenshot is enabled for the receiver to screenshot the sender’s Snapchat, however, the catch is that the sender is notified when it happens. Before, if you were to screenshot, the app would shut you out of seeing the image, and the only picture you would get is your lock screen. Another addition that has sparked a lot of interest and has taken the app further is the Discovery page that was developed in 2015. This feature created a branch with different news outlets and magazine sites to publish smaller articles that would catch the interest of Snapchat users. It also allowed for Snapchat to step up its game and expand its media horizon by adapting different news articles for people to see what is going on in the world today.
Snapchat has had loads of rebuttals from the public since the major improvements to the features. In 2017, Snapchat developed the Snap Map so that users could see the exact locations of their friends on a map. People found enjoyment in seeing where their friends are, who they are with, and the story locations around them. However, parents of the younger generation were not approving of this update, as they were worried for their children. Criticisms against the new update quickly rose when people began to call Snapchat unsafe for the use of children who don’t know any better. However, the creators of the app thought ahead and developed “ghost mode”, which is the option to not share your location in order to remain off the app for others to not know your whereabouts.
To relate the relevancy of Snapchat back to our reading and classroom discussions, the app allows for the instant gratification from others that fills our self-esteem and makes us feel better about ourselves. In our generation, we constantly are looking for the approval of those around us in order to feel adequate. With the “story” feature on Snapchat, we now have the ability to post a selfie of ourselves and quickly have a few responses from others that tell us how pretty and beautiful we look in the photo. Snapchat, unlike other social media pages in the past, allows us to have an instantaneous outlet that gives us a boost in our ego.
Snapchat hasn’t technically been labeled revolutionary, however it is a key example of our generation and how we act in society. Snapchat has the famous stereotype of being an easy way to sext and send private messages that are to not be seen anywhere, and though it is very true, the app still carries a lot of different features. The app is still modernizing with every update and continues to be an appreciated by the millennial generation.
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