Snapchat is a social networking app that enables users (Snapchatters) to send videos or pictures to other Snapchat users. These videos and pictures are intended to only be viewed for up to ten seconds before the content is erased.
If Snapchat users want their content to be viewed for longer than ten seconds, they can add their snap messages to a Stories section that makes it possible for followers to view the messages for a 24-hour period. There’s also a Memories section in Snapchat that stores “snaps” for viewing or sharing at a later time.
Snapchat’s Popularity Soars Among Young Adults
Snapchat debuted in 2011 and remains extremely popular with young adults, who make up a large percentage of the app’s 150 million daily active users. Millennials use Snapchat as a way of talking with their friends and sharing their experiences without worrying about the images or videos sticking around for other Snapchat users (or parents) to view them at a later time.
There are ways, however, for recipients to save a screenshot of a Snapchat to their camera roll, and while Snapchat is designed to let the sender know when a recipient has taken a screenshot, there are ways around this in which Snapchat users can capture screenshots without the sender’s knowledge.
In addition to its picture and video “snap” capabilities, Snapchat also makes it possible to send voice messages, edit pictures with text or other content (doodles, stickers, filters/lens, etc.), video chat with Snapchat friends, and send money to other users.
Unlike Facebook, which can be accessed from an app or the web, Snapchat can only be accessed from an app, with versions of Snapchat available for both iOS and Android devices.
