Snapchat

A new app I have recently come to download per the advice of my friends is called Snapchat. Snapchat is a free messaging system for the iPhone (that can also be accessed through Facebook) that allows the user to take a picture and send it to a friend or a group of friends in real-time. The interesting twist is that the sender can control how long the receiver(s) can see the picture message, and after the allotted time, the picture will disappear and all the receiver can see is the receipt of the message. Snapchat also allows the user to have fun. There is an option to add a short text message on your picture, or to draw on your picture with a variety of colors- really the possibilities are endless with a creative mind. This app embodies the cliche of "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Snapchat breathes new life into a seemingly mundane from of communication- texting. Texting has become one of the main forms of communication among the new generation, and Snapchat makes it interesting again. In some instances, I find myself not wanting to explain myself via text because it takes too long, or it's too hard to explain in written form. With Snapchat, you can avoid the drawn out lengthy text messages and simply show your friend what you mean. It also brings a sense of intimacy to a usually cold and detached form of communication. Now, you are seeing your friend, you are experiencing their situation through images, rather than just reading about it. Snapchat is making computer mediated communication personal again.



Citation:

Snapchat Inc. (Photographer). (2012). Snapchat. [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/snapchat/id447188370?mt=8