According to their website, Snapchat is,
A new way to share moments with friends. Snap an ugly selfie or a video, add a caption, and send it to a friend (or maybe a few). They'll receive it, laugh, and then the snap disappears.
The image might be a little grainy, and you may not look your best, but that's the point. It's about the moment, a connection between friends, and not just a pretty picture.
The allure of fleeting messages reminds us about the beauty of friendship - we don't need a reason to stay in touch.
Give it a try, share a moment, and enjoy the lightness of being!
But what is the appeal of Snapchat? Isn't it almost like another form of instagram?
More than 350 million photos are uploaded just to Facebook each day. Terrified that all of those images will stick around forever? Snapchat to the rescue. It's a smartphone app created by two former Stanford fraternity brothers that offers photo flashing: the opportunity to send a photo or video to someone and have it "self destruct" within seconds. By rendering digital photos fleeting rather than archival, Snapchat offers a face-saving alternative to our constantly tracked, unerasable lives on the Internet - and a chance to reintroduce a modicum of privacy. Users are now sharing over 150 million snaps daily
The revenueless Snapchat has attracted nearly $14 million in venture funding, as well as its own Winklevoss-style lawsuit. Spiegel, 22, says the idea for the company came from a college friend who said, "I wish these photos i am sending this girl would disappear." That friend, Frank Brown, is now suing Spiegel and Murphy, 24, alleging he was part of a previous, similar company, Picaboo, that the three had launched. brown claims he was unfairly cut out of the business after an argument and that Spiegel and Murphy stole his idea.
Snapchat is also not an app without its problems. The concept of having pictures "self destruct" and leaving no digital trace behind brings the idea of sexting to a whole new level, where explicit photos can be shared between users without fear of backlash. If this was kept private, it would be fine, but what if it was spam?
Users have complained that they had been sent photos from scantily-clad women with names such as "Honey.Crush9" inviting them to join them in a Skype conversation.
The reason why so many people received unsolicited photos from Honey Crush and her spamming counterparts is that Snapchat allows anyone to send you photo messages. By default, anyone who knows your username or phone number (or who can guess it) can send you a message.
To protect yourself from Snapchat spam such as this, the app can be configured to only accept messages from users on your list of friends.
Happy snapping!
- Paperbear out
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