Snapchat
Snapchat is an American multimedia social media and instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of the app are that pictures and messages, known as “Snaps”, are typically only accessible for a brief period of time before their recipients can no longer access them. The app has evolved from originally focusing on person-to-person photo sharing to now showcasing users’ “Stories” of 24 hours of chronological content, along with “Discover”, letting brands show ad-supported short-form content. It also allows users to store photos in a password-protected area called “My Eyes Only”. It has also reportedly incorporated limited use of end-to-end encryption, with intention to expand its use in the future.
it was created by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown,former students at Stanford University. It is known for representing a mobile-first direction for social media, and places significant emphasis on users interacting with virtual stickers and augmented reality objects. In 2023, Snapchat had over 300 million monthly active users.On average more than four billion were sent each day in 2020.Snapchat is popular among the younger generations, with most users being between ages 18 and 24.Snapchat is subject to privacy concerns with social networking services.
History
Prototype
According to documents and deposition statements, Reggie Brown brought the idea for a disappearing-pictures application to Evan Spiegel because Spiegel had prior business experience. Brown and Spiegel then pulled in Bobby Murphy, who had experience coding. The three worked closely together for several months and launched Snapchat as “Picaboo” on the iOS operating system on July 8, 2011.Reggie Brown was ousted from the company months after it was launched.
The app was relaunched as it in September 2011, and the team focused on usability and technical aspects, rather than branding efforts. One exception was the decision to keep a mascot designed by Brown, “Ghostface Chillah“, named after Ghostface Killah of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan.
On May 8, 2012, Reggie Brown sent an email to Evan Spiegel during their senior year at Stanford, in which he offered to re-negotiate his equitable share regarding ownership of the company.
Lawyers for claimed that Reggie Brown had made no contributions of value to the company, and was therefore entitled to nothing. In September 2014, Brown settled with Spiegel and Murphy for $157.5 million and was credited as one of the original authors .
Growth
As of May 2012, 25 Snapchat images were being sent per second and, as of November 2012, users had shared over one billion photos on the Snapchat iOS app, with 20 million photos being shared per day.That same month, Spiegel cited problems with user base scalability as the reason that Snapchat was experiencing some difficulties delivering its images, known as “snaps”, in real time. Snapchat was released as an Android app on October 29, 2012.
In June 2013, version 5.0, dubbed “Banquo”, was released for iOS. The updated version introduced several speed and design enhancements, including swipe navigation, double-tap to reply, an improved friend finder, and in-app profiles. The name was a reference to a character from Shakespeare’s Macbeth.At the same time, Snapchat introduced Snapkidz for users under 13 years of age. Snapkidz was part of the original Snapchat application and was activated when the user provided a date of birth to verify his/her age. Snapkidz allowed children to take snaps and draw on them, but they could not send snaps to other users and could save snaps only locally on the device being used.
| Emoji | Name | Snapchat meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 💕 | Super BFF | Appears next to the user’s number 1 Best Friend when they are also their number 1 Best Friend for two months in a row. |
| ❤️ | BFF | Appears next to the user’s number 1 Best Friend when they are also their number 1 Best Friend for two weeks in a row. |
| 💛 | Besties | Appears next to the user’s number 1 Best Friend when they are also their number 1 Best Friend. |
| 😊 | BFs | Appears next to one of the user’s Best Friends. |
| 😬 | Mutual Besties | Appears next to someone when the user’s number 1 Best Friend is also their number 1 Best Friend. |
| 😎 | Mutual BFs | Appears next to someone whom the user shares a best friend with. |
| 🔥 | Snapstreak | Appears next to the number of days that the user and a friend have Snapped each other. If the user and their friend do not both send a Snap within 24 hours, they will lose their Snapstreak.[104] |
| ✨ | Group Chat | Appears next to all of the user’s group chats. |
| ⌛️ | Hourglass | Appears next to someone’s name if the user’s Snapstreak is going to end soon. |
| 🎂 | Birthday Cake | Appears next to someone when it is their birthday. |
Pompliano lawsuit
In January 2017, Pompliano filed a state lawsuit accusing Snapchat of doctoring growth metrics with the intention of deceiving investors. Pompliano said that Spiegel was dismissive of his concerns and that Pompliano was fired shortly thereafter. The judge dropped Pompliano’s claims that Snapchat violated the Dodd-Frank and Consumer Protection Acts in retaliation against him, citing an arbitration clause in his contract.However, Snap Inc. faced blowback over a lack of disclosure regarding the contents of the lawsuit, resulting in plunging stock prices, several class-action lawsuits, and Federal investigations.
“Snap Map” privacy concerns
The June 2017 release of “Snap Map”, a feature that broadcasts the user’s location on a map, was met with concerns over privacy and safety. The feature, through an opt-in, delivers a message asking if the user would like to show their position on the map, but reportedly does not explain the ramifications of doing so, including that the app updates the user’s position on the map each time the app is opened and not just when actively capturing snaps, potentially assisting stalkers.
The map can be zoomed in to feature detailed geographical information, such as street addresses.The Daily Telegraph reported that police forces had issued child safety warnings,while other media publications wrote that safety concerns were also raised for teenagers and adults unaware of the feature’s actual behavior.In a statement to The Verge, a Snapchat spokesperson said that “The safety of our community is very important to us and we want to make sure that all Snapchatters, parents, and educators have accurate information about how the Snap Map works”.
Users have the ability to operate in “Ghost Mode”, or select the friends that they wish to share their location with. Although there has been an increase in advertising on Snapchat, Snapchat has stated that they do not plan on running ads on Snap Map stories.
Body image concerns
The increased use of body and facial reshaping applications such as Snapchat and Facetune has been identified as a potential cause of body dysmorphic disorder. In August 2018, researchers from the Boston Medical Center wrote in a JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery essay that a phenomenon they called ‘Snapchat dysmorphia’ had been identified, where people request surgery to look like the edited version of themselves as they appear through Snapchat Filters.
Snapchat employees abused data access to spy on users
In May 2019, it was revealed that multiple Snapchat employees used an internal tool called SnapLion, originally designed to gather data in compliance with law enforcement requests, to spy on users.
Revenge porn
During the 2020 lockdown to inhibit the spread of COVID-19 in France, the app emerged as a hub for the dissemination of revenge porn of underage girls.Some users have also reported that perpetrators of revenge porn have utilized explicit images to seek sexual favors or powers over individuals.
