Image Attribution: “Assignment #3 Snapchat SNS – Brianna kreil” by Brianna Kreil is licensed under CC BY-NC. (See interactive map)
Assignment #3
Snapchat has become the most used social media app of the Gen Z era, whether it is for sending photos, videos, texts, or video chatting with your friends, the variety of features has enabled Snapchat to stay consistently #1. Snapchat has become a positive place for connecting with people around the world, especially during covid “Studies demonstrated that Snapchat interactions were perceived as more enjoyable – and associated with more positive mood” (2015, Joseph Bayers, Sharing the small moments). This allowed people to communicate with their family and friends from afar while they are still able to see your face and what you are doing, this helped people keep up to date with friends during these hard times. Snap chat recently added memories so you can look back at what you saved “_ years ago, today” this has had positive feedback because people get to look back at what they were doing and share those memories with friends. Snapchat also gained lots of recognition for face filters, it was an easy way to send goofy photos to your friends and always be guaranteed a laugh. A final pro for Snapchat users is it is easy to navigate, regardless of your age you will be able to understand all the features on Snapchat within a few minutes.
Although there are plenty of pros there are also several cons when it comes to using Snapchat.“Snapchat is unique in that it erases messages several seconds after they have been sent, affording its users a higher level of privacy.” ( 2015, Sonja Utz, Nicole Muscanell and Cameran Khalid, Snapchat Elicits More Jealousy than Facebook ) Many teenagers take advantage of these few second photos to send explicit photos, post dangerous actions, and illegal activities because many users think once it is sent it is done with, unfortunately, that is not the case, there is a backup hard drive that users can see the previous snaps they have sent therefore it is not gone. Snapchat also provides filters so you can present yourself as “prettier” this is leading to multiple cases of catfishing and disappointment, this is a problem because Snapchat has become a place for people to meet each other and start relationships
A con to these online relationships is lying, people will lie about their appearances, age, hometown, and intentions when it comes to plans on getting together. Online dating and meeting strangers is quite a scary thing but teenagers have no fear because they “know” the person from Snapchat. Lastly, Snapchat is affecting mental health, communication, and eyesight. People are pulled out of reality and so drawn to their phones that they are forgetting how to interact with people face to face, teenagers would rather talk online than go out and hang with their friends. As a teenager I am frequently using Snapchat to talk to my friends and meet new friends, on average I spend two hours a day using and consuming.
Resources:
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2014.0479
CyberEurope | Cyberpsychology, Behavior … – Liebertpub.com. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cyber.2014.1501.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1084349
“Sharing the Small Moments: Ephemeral Social Interaction on Snapchat.” Taylor & Francis, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1084349.